The World Above
by ModernNerd20
Summary: Clarke and Bellamy pull the lever that exposes all the inhabitants of Mount Weather to radiation filled atmosphere. Only one girl survives the exposure, her body inexplicably immune to the radiation. The story follows her as she learns the secrets of the world above and experiences new and unwelcome emotions.
1. Chapter 1

**Please read and review. This story is meant to pick up after Clarke and Bellamy kill all of the people living in Mount Weather. The main character is not one from the show, she is completely made up. I hope you enjoy!**

The World Above

She sat in her chair, watching the scene unfold before her in complete and utter terror. It was the type of fear that made a person's brain go blank, the type that made a person lose all their basic motor skills. It paralyzed her.

Her father sat in the chair across the table. He had spilled his drink over when he started to feel the effects of the radiation. His skin began to blister and within seconds, they covered every inch of his visible skin. At first, she didn't understand what was happening.

Then she heard the alarm.

The red emergency lights flashed in rapid succession making her head spin. To her left, her little sister was sliding off of her chair, landing in a heap on the cold concrete floor. She looked around to find that it was happening to everybody. The room was flooded with different sounds. The screaming and the crying were loud, but all she heard clearly was her sister's final desperate gasps for air.

Across the room she caught glances of the others. Her friends Anna and Lauren, slumped over each other on the couch. Her old school teacher crawling towards the door before her arms gave out underneath her. Countless others, all dying slowly. She looked back down at her sister, who was now reaching up for her with open hands.

Finally she regained control of her mobility. Dropping to her knees, she took the outstretched hand and positioned her small head onto her lap.

"It's okay." She sobbed, stroking her sister's long golden hair. She knew there was nothing she could do. She knew that her sister was going to die. "It's okay, Hannah." The tears in her eyes made her sisters face blurry, but she was thankful for that. The blisters had taken over, and her beautiful porcelain face was now a sight of horror. Her tiny body gave a final jerk as she opened her mouth for one last breath of air. Then she was still.

All around her, bodies stilled. When the howl of the alarm ceased, there was a heavy silence hanging in the air. She didn't trust her legs to stand up, so she stayed there on the ground with her sister's petite body draped across her lap.

How could this happen? The Mountain had survived decades without an incident of this magnitude. True, there were the occasional radiation leaks, but those had all been contained almost instantly, and with minimal casualties. Throughout her lifetime, only two people had died from the radiation. But this time, it killed them all. The people she had known her whole life. Her friends and her family. It had killed everyone.

Everyone, except her.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed. It could have minutes, it could have been hours. Her vision had become a thick fog, nothing particular coming into focus. Her mind just couldn't processes what her eyes were seeing. Everyone she had ever known, now dead. She hadn't gotten up to check, but she knew in her gut that the other sections had leaked as well. If they had lived, why hadn't anyone shut off their section from the polluted air? Why did they stand by idly while they suffered?

Her eyes drifted down to Hannah's face, willing the haze to disappear so she could see her sister clearly. When it did, she stared into Hannah's empty eyes. There was no life left in her, but maybe if she prayed hard enough, her sister would take one more breath. For a short moment, she swore she could hear Hannah calling to her. But it wasn't Hannah's voice.

"Hey! Look at me." The voice grew louder, become clearer as it did. "Are you hurt?"

She tilted her head up and blinked a few times before she saw the girl in front of her. _Hannah?_ She thought wildly, her heart beginning to pound. Her hair was the same color as Hannah's and just as long. But the shape of her face was wrong. This girl's face was rounder and void of the freckles that scattered across Hannah's face. Her eyes were wrong too, they were narrower; shaped more like an almond rather than Hannah's gumball eyes. But the color was right, the deep hazel was a reflection of her little sister's.

The girl speaking to her was not Hannah. She was someone else, someone she didn't know. She was crouched down beside her now, leaning in so close that she could smell the outside world on her clothes. Their eyes locked for a long drawn out moment before she spoke again.

"What's your name?" she asked slowly. She tried to give her an answer, but the word was choked off in her throat. The girl looked to another on her right. "Take her back to camp." And then she was gone.

Another girl, one with black hair that was pulled back off her face in braids so close to her scalp they looked almost like they had been painted on. She reached out a hand and helped her to her feet. Hannah's lifeless body slipped onto the floor as she stood. The black haired girl took her by the arm and led her through the room, stepping over the bodies of her neighbors; her doctor; her classmates. Once out in the metallic gray hallway, she was led through a maze of tunnels and finally to the large slate doors that lead to the Outside. The girl pushed the doors open, putting all of her body weight behind it.

A light surged in through the crack and touched her skin. A feeling of warmth tinged in the spots that the light hit. _It's the sun_. The realization made fresh tears well up in her eyes. She was about to see the sun. Fear struck her hard for only a few seconds. If the outside air was going to kill her, she would have died beside her sister and father. The girl took a step beyond the door and signaled for her to follow.

"Marcelina." She whispered, finding her voice at last. The girl gave her a confused look. "My name is Marcelina."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, hope you enjoy this next chapter. Please review and tell me what you think so far. Also if you have any ideas or suggestions I'm open to them! Thank you!**

The brown hair girl, who introduced herself as Octavia, did not allow her any time to take in the earth. The smells, the colors, the textures were all too overwhelming. She began to cry, to sob as her head and heart pounded at alarming rates. Her mind skipped between visions of her dead family to the beauty of the sun kissed trees. Guilt washed over her in a flood too strong to swim through. She had survived and they had perished. She got to experience the Ground, while they would be buried beneath it.

"We don't have time for this." Octavia huffed as she urged Marcelina to move forward. "Come on, let's go Marcella!" Her anger seeped through her voice.

"Marcelina." She corrected her. "Or just Lina." At last, she had gained enough control to stifle her sobs and speak in coherent sentences.

"Okay, well I'm sorry in advance, Lina." Octavia gave her a small apologetic smile before she thrust the butt end of her gun into the side of Lina's temple.

She woke up lying on something cold and hard. Before opening her eyes, she did a silent inventory of her body. Besides a splitting headache, nothing seemed to be injured. She could see the bright light through her eyelids and made sure to open her eyes slowly so the light wouldn't make her headache worse.

Once her vision came into focus, she found that her uncomfortable bed was a metal table in the middle of a fairly empty room. The walls, floors, and ceiling all seemed to be made from the same slate gray metal as the table. The room was cold and caused a shiver to run through her body. The only other piece of furniture was a smaller table laden with all sorts of medical tools. She sat up but her head spun so wildly that she fell back on her shoulders.

A swooshing noise came suddenly from behind her. Lina struggled to turn over so she could get a better view. She discovered a large automatic sliding door that took up almost the entire length of the back wall. A petite middle aged woman strode through, followed by two men. The younger man was wearing a uniform that she instantly recognized as one of a Mount Weather guard. Everyone knew everyone inside the mountain, but this man wasn't one of her people. She felt rage bubble in her blood at the idea of him disgracing the uniform. The second man was about the same age as the woman, and a good foot taller.

"You might not want to sit up just yet." The woman said softly as she came towards the table. Lina scrambled to get her feet on the ground. That's when she noticed the paper gown she was wearing. They had changed her out of her clothes? She felt utterly violated by the idea.

"Don't come any closer." she tried to say, but her voice was dry and hoarse from crying. The woman stopped and put her hands up in front of her, palms facing Lina, in a show of innocence.

"No one wants to hurt you." She said slowly. "My name is Abby. Octavia told us your name is Marcelina." She was wearing a slight smile.

"Just Lina." She corrected, positioning herself so that the table was between them. "Octavia knocked me out." She said thinking of the last image she remembered before waking up. It was of the end of a long assault rifle.

"She had to. You were out of control." Said the man in the guard uniform. Lina shot him a threatening look and to her surprise, so did Abby.

"Octavia's actions were completely unsanctioned and she had been punished." Abby assured her. But Lina didn't care if Octavia received a punishment or a cookie; she only cared about one thing.

"Are they all dead?" She asked hastily. The three of them seemed to understand who she was referring to and they all looked at one another. In the end, it was the older man who stepped forward.

"You were the only one to survive. I'm so sorry." The man kept his dark eyes on her, as though waiting for her to react. Was he expecting her to lash out at them? Was he waiting for her attack in a moment of grief?

And then it hit her.

He wasn't expressing sorrow for her loss, he was apologizing for it.

"You did it, didn't you?" the accusation hung in a heavy silence for a moment before the man spoke again.

"We needed to ensure the survival of our people…" he began, but Lina cut him off.

"Your people are on the ground, my people could never get to them!" her voice was gaining more strength with each word. "What threat could have possibly posed to you?"

"You were killing us one by one." This time the younger man took a step forward.

"We fed, clothed, and sheltered your people! Our guards saved their lives by bringing them to the mountain!"

"Your guards were stringing our people up and draining them of every ounce of their blood!" He shouted back.

"There were children in that mountain. Babies and toddlers, and you killed them all!" she screamed at him. Her words must have struck a nerve. He took a long step in her direction, but the older man put his arm across his chest and stopped him mid stride.

"Bellamy, go." He hissed. The younger man seemed to be weighing his options. He looked back between Lina and the other man before finally turning on his heels and exiting the room.

"Marcelina, please just listen to what we have to say." Abby was begging. She had stepped in front of the man again. It was hard to tell which one was the leader. They seemed to either share the title or were fighting for it.

"It's just Lina." She insisted. "And nothing you tell me will…"

"Not us," the man interrupted "but there is someone you might listen to." He gave Abby a meaningful nod and she hurried out of the room. "Your leader was keeping a very dark secret from all of you." He continued. Lina suddenly became very aware of the measly paper gown she was wearing. It barely skimmed the top of her thighs. But his eyes stayed locked onto hers and they made no effort to wonder over the rest of her body.

"President Wallace is a good man, he would never…"

"Not your president, his son." He had a habit of interrupting her. "I know it must be difficult for you to believe us, but perhaps Mr. Jordan can convince you." As the words left his mouth, Abby returned, with Jasper in toe.

"Jasper!" Lina exclaimed as she ran to him and captured him in a hard hug. His long arms wrapped around her body.

"Hey Lina." He whispered. She stepped back to look at him and noticed right away that something was wrong. His usually cheerful face was now carrying something darker just under the surface. There was no doubt in her mind that she could trust Jasper. She and her friends had spent a lot of time with him once he and Maya became close. He would spend hours telling them stories of the Arc and the Ground, some of which she was sure he fabricated. Like being impaled by warrior grounders during his first few days on Earth. But Jasper was a kind soul; she could feel it in her heart. So when he confirmed what Abby and the men had been saying, she did not doubt him.

She cried. She cried for a long time after jasper left. The feelings of isolation and betrayal began to seep into her slowly as she grasped the gravity of the situation. Cage and his team had been killing off the Sky People and the Grounders, draining them of their blood and bone marrow in order to create a cure for his own people. That cure would allow the residents of Mount Weather to walk above the ground without feeling the effects of the radiation. He was willing to kill in order to save his people; and so were the Sky People.

The Sky People had won and now Lina was alone. She was the last of the "Mountain Men" as Jasper had referred to her people. They had no idea how she had survived the radiation. Abby had asked her multiple times if she had been treated with the bone marrow of one the Sky People, but she hadn't been. Hell, she had only been to the medical wing once in her entire life, and it was after she got into a fight a boy in school. He'd hit her across the mouth and she'd needed stitches to stop the bleeding. The boy had also needed stitches, as well as some ice for the black eye she had given him.

Abby's best guess was that Lina's body was one of the first and only to begin to adapt to the radiation. Although the walls of the mountain had blocked the radiation from entering the inside atmosphere, small traces of it still seeped in through the walls and any objects brought in from the world above. That explained why most of the people of Mount Weather were frequent flyers at the medical wing. Their immune systems were constantly in a state for weakness due to the small amounts of radiation they were being exposed to without even knowing it. Lina's body must have evolved to filter out the radiation, in a way similar to the Sky People. It was just a theory, but Abby wanted to run a few tests to determine exactly what was so special about her.

Lina did argue or put up a fight. She was too tired to do anything more than nod when she thought it was appropriate. Incredibly, she did not hate the Sky People for what they had done because she knew that if it had been her people being systematically slaughtered, she would have done the same. But the truth did not make her loss any less real and painful. When she had cried out all of her body's tears, she lay in a ball on the metal table and whimpered herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**As always, please read and review! Let me know if you have any advice or ideas that you think might benefit the story! I'm having a blast writing this and I hope you're enjoying!**

"I wasn't sure what size you are." Abby said as she plopped a pile of clothes on the table in front of Lina. "But I'm sure we can find something if none of these fit."

"Thank you." Lina yawned and began digging through the clothes for something that promised warmth. She had decided when she had woken that although she did not hate the Sky People, she did not necessarily like or trust them. She did not want to be their friend or their prisoner. She did not want to learn their ways or become one of their group. She wanted to go home. But for the moment, she didn't have a choice but to play nice.

"I'll bring you over to the dining room after you change. You must be starving." Abby turned her back to Lina as she pulled on a pair of jeans, a sports bra, and a gray long sleeved shirt. In reality, she wasn't the least bit hungry. Her stomach had been in a knot since she first woke up in Camp Jaha, and the very thought of food made her queasy.

"Will I have to sleep here again?" she asked as she stretched her sore back. The hard table was by far the worst 'bed' she had ever slept on.

"No, Kane is working on sleeping arrangements for you." Abby was hiding something and Lina pushed her for more information.

"Do you guys have actual rooms or just tents?" she pressed, thinking of what the camp must look like on the outside. She imagined a large open area filled with shabby looking tents.

"Tents for the most part." She smiled briefly. "Lina I have to warn you that many of our people are not thrilled with the idea of you being here." She paused as though she was contemplating whether she should continue. "Kane and I are worried about your safety." She admitted.

"Is Kane the man who was here yesterday?" she asked, trying to get all of the names and faces straight. Abby nodded. "So what's his plan?"

"He wants to put you with a guard."

"Like a babysitter." Lina pulled her lips into a narrow line.

"It's just until tempers cool down." Abby pushed pass the sliding doors beckoning for Lina to follow. "We'll have another cot brought to his tent. And you'll be close enough to Kane for him to get to you in a hurry if he needs to." At this point, Lina wasn't sure if Abby was trying to convince Lina that it would be safe or herself.

"So I'm staying with Kane?" She felt uncomfortable with the idea, but even more uncomfortable with the idea that people might actually try to hurt her.

"No." Abby cast a sideways glance in Lina's direction as they walked down the long cement hallway. "Kane is the chancellor, he already has too much on his plate." She paused in front of a huge hole that had been blown through the wall. They had hung a black plastic tarp over the opening to act as a door. "Unfortunately, not many of our guards are on board with Kane's protection detail. Bellamy was the only one to um… volunteer."

Lina furrowed her brows together in thought. Why did Abby seem so concerned with what guard babysat her? If this Bellamy guy was willing to do the job then what did it matter that no one else was?

"Wait." Lina was suddenly frowning at the thought that had come to her mind. "The guy who had been in the Mount Weather uniform last night, that's Bellamy isn't it?" Aby nodded slowly and opened her mouth to say something, but Lina beat her to it. "Absolutely not." She folded her arms over her chest in defiance. "No way am I getting within ten feet of that asshole."

"Bellamy Blake is a good guard, one of the best we have." She reached her arm out to push open the tarp. "And the only one willing to be within ten feet of _you_."

The light that shone through the opening was brilliant and welcoming. It lured her out of the building and into the open air of an Earth that she had only imagined. Outside, people seemed to be scattered around chaotically. The tents were strewn across a long narrow opening between the side of the building and the wire fence. Upon further scrutiny, Lina realized that the building was not a building after all. It was a ship. She recalled the stories that Jasper had recited for them and she was disappointed that the spaceship wasn't bigger.

She looked around at the camp the Sky People had built, her eyes darting in every direction unsure of what to focus on first. A few people had stopped to stare in her direction, but moved on after a sharp gaze from Abby. In the distance the tall trees danced in the wind. Leaves of brown and golden shades fell to the ground to cover the grass. Inside the camp, the ground was down trodden and she had a feeling it was slick and muddy from hundreds of pairs of boots stomping over it. The sky above looked as though it had been created with a paintbrush. The blue so lively and clear that her eyes couldn't be torn away, not even when she heard a deep voice speak behind her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She recognized Kane's voice instantly so she didn't need to turn around. "I know you must have dreamed about what it would look like on the ground your whole life." He said, stepping beside her and raising his chin in the air to see the heavens as she did. "I dreamed about it too." Grudgingly, her eyes pulled away from the sky and fluttered to him.

"Am I a prisoner, or can I leave your camp?" she asked seriously. If she were to walk through those gates, where would she go? She had no idea how to get home. She had no idea how to survive in the world on her own. But the idea that she had the freedom to try was for reason extremely important to her.

"You wouldn't last four hours on your own out there." He met her eyes. "But if you chose to leave, I wouldn't stop you." Lina knew in that moment that Kane was sincere. She didn't have much to go on, but she could feel it in her gut. He had turned his face back up to the cloudless blue sky.

"I'm not going to leave." She whispered, letting her eyes wander over to the woods once more. In her peripherals Lina watched the corner of his mouth pull up in a small smile.

"I know."

"I don't like the idea of having a guard, especially someone like Bellamy, following me around." She crossed her arms and turned her body to fully face him. His smile widened.

"I know."

The "dining room" as Abby had referred to it, was nothing more than a few makeshift tables set up under an overhang outside the ship. Most tables were occupied and she followed Abby through the crowd to a half empty one around the outside. All eyes turned to her as they walked, but she did her best to ignore them. The food Abby brought her was a tasteless, colorless patty which had the consistency of cardboard. But she shoveled it into her mouth nonetheless. They did not speak while they ate, but Lina could hear a few muttered comments from nearby tables.

"Kane." A strong voice penetrated their silence from behind her. She looked over her shoulder to find the large form of Bellamy Blake in her line of vision. "I need to talk to you." He seemed even more hostile than he had the day before. When he cast his eyes down at her, a shudder of fear ran up her spine.

"Have a seat Mr. Blake." Kane said as he took another bite of his cardboard patty. Bellamy shifted his weight from one foot to another, clearly uncomfortable.

"Sir." He said with a pointed look at Kane. Getting the hint, Kane rose from his seat and walked off with Bellamy. Lina scrunched her face in dislike as she watched their backs.

"He's not that bad." Abby said with a smile. "He's just… going through some stuff."

 _Like watching your entire family die while you sit there totally hopeless._ The thought never made it past her lips. When they were finished eating, Abby led her back into the medical wing of the ship. She was adamant about running tests to find out exactly how Lina was able to survive the radiation. She dressed herself into a paper gown like the one she had woken up in yesterday and played the part of the good patient.

It took nearly three hours before Abby was satisfied, but the results wouldn't be in for a few more hours. Lina had just slipped the shirt back over her head when Kane and Bellamy walked through the door. She couldn't help but noticed the way Abby straightened her back and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The frown on Bellamy's face made the corners of her mouth curl up in a smirk. Whatever was making him so unhappy, she liked it.

"Marcelina," Kane said her name with a small smile "I need to speak with Abby in private." He gave Bellamy a meaningful look but kept his words directed towards her. "Bellamy is going to show you where you'll be sleeping


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright everyone, let me know if you're liking the story so far!**

She followed Bellamy through the long tunnels until they finally reached the exit of the ship. Lina had made sure to stay a few steps behind him the whole way. Neither of them uttered a single word as they walked across the open muddy field. This time, Abby was not there to fend off the poisonous stares of the Sky People. Lina could feel their hatred pricking at her skin like a million tiny daggers.

Bellamy came to a halt so suddenly that she nearly collided with his back. The tent was a tarp that was held up with nothing more than a few twigs. When she looked around, she realized that all the tents were the same. They were living in shambles and for a millisecond, she felt badly for the Sky People. But it vanished as quickly as it had come about. He pushed his way through the tall slit of the tarp which served as his door. She followed.

Inside was worse than she had been expecting. A thin flat piece of wood was lying in the middle of the one room, acting as a carpet. On either side of the wood was a small cot, one of which was unmade with two thick blankets tossed around. She looked to the other cot, which she knew would be hers for however long she was forced to be here. It was smaller than his, but so was she. Unlike the other, there was only one blanket and no sign of a pillow.

. "That's yours." Bellamy pointed to the small cot. She wanted to point out that he was stating the obvious, but she kept her lips pressed tight and gave a slight nod. "You go wherever I go, and do whatever I say. Clear?" Lina pursed her lips. Earlier, Kane had assured her that she was not a prisoner, but it was becoming apparent that she was not free.

"Clear." She whispered through gritted teeth.

"Good. Let's move." He said as he turned on his heels and strode back through the tent's opening.

"Go?" she groaned. The new sensations of the Ground, the overwhelming sights and sounds along with the abundance of new air that she was unaccustomed to, had made her sleepy. Her body was heavy and hard to move, and her head still pounded from Octavia's rifle. Unenthusiastically, she followed him once more into the sun lit world.

The next few hours she spent with her head down as she struggled to keep up with his long strides. He marched from place to place, checking on the progress of several projects. They had been in the kitchen to see how much more food was available, and then went straight to a large group of men to ask about recent hunts. She kept her mouth shut and listened to Bellamy as he worked and gave orders to several people. By the time he brought her back to medical to see Abby, Lina was sure he was someone of great power in Camp Jaha. She was also sure that he was someone who the Sky People had great respect for.

"I was right." Abby announced as soon as they walked into her lab. "Your body started to develop mechanisms to withstand the radiation." Her excitement had caused her voice to rise in both volume and pitch. Lina stared at Abby, not quite understanding. "Lina, your body was the first to truly adapt to the outside world. Another fifty years and I'd bet anything that all the people in Mount Weather will be resistant to the radiation!"

"Would have been resistant." Bellamy corrected her. Lina looked over her shoulder at him. He wasn't being cruel, he was being honest and for the first time she could see a trace of sadness on his face.

"Right." Abby's head dropped. "But, it's still an incredible find, Lina. It makes you very special."

"Why me?" She asked, thinking of her father and sister. "Why am I the only one?"

"It's in your genes." Abby's excitement reappeared. "I'm guessing that your father and grandfathers were probably guards, or they had something to do with handling objects from the ground."

"My dad was a ground patrol man." She explained "But he always had to wear a suit."

"Yes but a suit is much thinner than steel walls." Abby continued. "Your grandfather did the same?" Lina nodded. "And I bet it's safe to say that your great-grand father as well. The point is that your family's DNA has been exposed to more powerful doses of radiation than others. They're bodies, like yours, became more tolerant, and they passed that tolerance down through the generations. It's likely that the children of other guards were very close to being immune like you. If you had any siblings they probably would have survived as well!" Abby's smile was ear to ear. She was proud of her discovery.

Lina's stomach constricted and she felt bile rise in her throat. Hannah's small face flashed into her mind. She could picture her large round eyes staring up at her before the life drained out of them. Her tiny hand that had gripped Lina's so fiercely in the beginning, slowly lost its pressure before it fell to the floor. The memory of her little sister's final moments made her eyes sting and her heart tighten.

"My little sister," she began to say shaking her head. She watched Abby exchange a look with Bellamy before speaking.

"I didn't realize you had a sister." She said softly. "How old was she?"

"Six." Lina's voice cracked as a sob was caught in her throat. She didn't see him leave, but she heard Bellamy exit the room. It took Abby a while to explain why Hannah had not been as lucky as her big sister. Perhaps she was too young and still not strong enough. Perhaps she had inherited more of her mother's genes than her father's. She listed off a few more possibilities, but Lina had stopped listening.

Abby suggested that they eat in the lab and hurried to get them some food. On her way out she mumbled to someone right outside the door. Bellamy had been lingering in the hallway and was now making his way back into the room. Lina stayed silent, unsure if she even had the strength to speak if she wanted to. Bellamy didn't speak either and spent the time staring at a blank space on the wall until Abby returned.

She handed a small tray of food to Lina and offered one to Bellamy, but he simply shook his head leaned back against the wall. Although she was repulsed by the idea of putting another cardboard like chunk of meat in her mouth, Lina's mouth was watering. She and Abby had just pulled up chairs to sit down and eat when shouts rang through the corridor. Bellamy launched himself into the hall to investigate the disturbance and was back in half a second with Kane and two other guards.

"Abby," Kane called out breathlessly. "Grounders attacked one of the hunting parties." Abby was not on her feet rushing towards the door. "Two dead and three seriously injured." Kane continued as he and the doctor hurried out of sight.

"Follow me." Bellamy had wrapped his hand around her upper arm and was yanking her to her feet before she could register Kane's words. They followed the others outside, but instead of heading towards the gates as they had, Bellamy led her back to his tent. "Stay here. Don't move." He gave her a hard look. "I'll be back, I have to help them get the men inside the camp and set up the guard."

Then he was gone and she was alone. For a moment she just stood there in the middle of the tent, not sure what to do with herself. Finally, she opted for sitting at the foot of her new bed. The people outside were yelling and barking orders at one another. Were the Grounders coming here? Were they going to attack the camp? Lina wished she had thought to ask these questions before Bellamy left her defenseless.

Lina pulled the blanket off of the cot and draped it over her shoulders. If she hadn't been so worried about a potential grounder attack, she would be worrying about how the Sky People planned on surviving the winter with such inadequate shelter. The wind whipped right through the thin tent, sending a chill down her spine. The shouting ceased a while later, and was replaced by crushing silence. It was so still that she wondered if everyone had taken cover inside the ship. Had Bellamy forgotten her? Maybe he didn't forget. Maybe he left her on purpose. Asshole.

With a surge of resentment towards the guard, Lina got up and poked her head out of the tent. The sun had begun to set, casting a shadowed glow over the camp. She had to squint but was able to make out the fuzzy forms of several guards with rifles near the camp's gates. In a tent across the clearing she could see another very young girl sticking her head out. She couldn't have been much older than ten or eleven, and her eyes were wide with terror. Lina was just about to give the girl a reassuring smile when something came crushing down on the back of her head, dropping her to her knees. Before she could pull herself back to her feet, someone was stuffing a cloth into her mouth and tying another around her head to keep it in place.


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy New Year everyone! This chapter is a bit longer than my others. Hope you enjoy. Please leave reviews and suggestions!**

"Grab her." A man snarled. Someone seized her by the wrists and dragged her away from the tent. She couldn't scream but she kicked and thrashed desperately to get free. One of the men she recognized from breakfast earlier in the day. He had been seated at a table to her left, and had kept his eyes trained on her and Abby through the entire meal.

Lina was hauled through the mud and brought in front of two thick wooden posts in the ground. Each man took one of her hands and tied it to a post so her arms were stretched wide. When she lifted her head, there were at least a dozen men and women staring back at her. Every pair of eyes outwardly displayed deep hatred for the girl in front of them.

"Get on with it Robert." One woman called out. Lina began to plead with them but her voice was swallowed by the gag.

"Just kill the bitch!"

"No, death is too easy. Make her suffer."

"We should rip her open like they did to our kids!"

"Please, don't do this!" she tried to yell, but it came out as no more than a mumble with the cloth in her mouth. "I didn't do anything!" She continued, although she knew they couldn't understand her. From the corner of her eye, she watched the man behind her pull something from his jacket. There was a clicking noise followed by the low hum of electricity. She felt the man tug the neck of her shirt so hard that the fabric ripped and now hung open in the chilly breeze. The humming became louder until it was all that Lina could hear.

The shock touched the middle of her back. The pain rippled through her body and made her cringe uncontrollably. Each muscle in her body contracted so tightly she felt them crushing her bones. Her screams of pain were absorbed by the cloth. The second shock hit below the first, and the third was on her shoulder blade. Her stomach began to turn from the smell of her burning flesh. Her fingers wrapped around the ropes that bind her to the post. If she didn't hold onto something the pain would carry her away into oblivion. The shocks kept coming, and so did the agony.

"Stop!" a voice called out from somewhere far away and Lina couldn't lift her head to see the speaker. He didn't stop. Another shock caused her knees to buckle and the weight of her body now pulled down on her arms.

When the gun went off, Lina hardly heard it. Her senses had become numb to anything other than the feel of the burns and the hum of the electrified stick. It took her a while to realize that someone was untying her hands from the posts.

"Can you stand?" Her eyes were still shut but she could now hear the buzz of voices surrounding her. Out of all of them, Bellamy's was the one that registered clearly in her mind. "Lina, can you stand?" he asked again as he untied her other hand. Her free hand reached up for the cloth in her mouth and yanked it out seconds before the vomit.

When both her hands were free, Bellamy heaved her to her feet like she was a toddler with his hands under her arms. She wobbled in place as she regained her balance and nodded. She could walk. It was painful, but she could do it. Each step sent a fresh searing pain across her back. He walked beside her with his arm out as though he expected her to stumble at any given minute. She surprised him, and herself, by walking the entire distance to medical without his assistance.

The medical hall was bubbling with noise and movement as they approached. Abby and the others were still working tirelessly on the three wounded hunters. She looked through the glass door and could see one man lying on the table she had been sitting on not long before. His shirt was cut open and blood spilled out of a long wide gash across his stomach. Blood was also leaking from his open mouth, and his eyes stared lifelessly back at her. Her breath caught at the site. She could be the next corpse on that table. She would have been if Bellamy hadn't stopped the lashings.

"Stay here." He said as he moved to go through the door. Her head spun around in every direction, searching for others in the hallway. He was going to leave her again, leave her alone so anyone could take her. The sudden panic caused her to wheeze for air. Bellamy looked back to her with a soft expression. "You'll be okay, I can see through the doors. I'll only be a second."

She watched him race to Abby and Kane and say words that she could not hear through the glass. All of their eyes turned to her at the same time and then back to Bellamy. Abby ran to a nearby cabinet and retrieved a small jar that she handed to Bellamy. And then he was back by Lina's side and leading her away.

The sun had completely disappeared behind the tree line, leaving the camp it total darkness besides the few torches that lit the edges. The people of Camp Jaha had emerged from their tents once again and the grounds were in a state of chaos. Questions were being shouted to multiple guards who had to shout their answers out over the crowds. She had no idea how he was able to navigate their way back to the tent because she had a hard time seeing more than four feet in front of her.

"I told you to stay in the tent." He said while he held the tent open for her to enter. She was too exhausted and in too much pain to respond. Technically she hadn't left the tent. He followed her in stood in front of her cot. "Abby said this will help with the burns." He held up the small jar he'd been carrying. "Turn around."

Lina didn't move. She knew what he was thinking, but there was no way she'd let him touch her. She was perfectly capable of doing it herself, and she made that known by boring a hole in his head with her eyes. But his own stare didn't falter.

"I can do it." She said in the toughest voice she could muster. But it came out as little more than a gasp. Bellamy rolled his eyes. The asshole actually rolled his eyes at her!

"Turn around." He said again doing a good job at keeping the annoyance out of his voice. She crossed her arms and planted her feet in the mud. Defiance was one of her greatest skills. "Fine." He shrugged and thrust the jar into her chest. He plopped himself down onto his cot and folded his arms under his head. Lina stared at him a second longer and then unscrewed the top of the jar.

The ointment inside was clear and cool to the touch. She dipped the tips of her fingers in and then reached behind her back. The lowest burn was easy to reach, and she managed to smear the gel over the wound even with shaking hands. The gel felt like magic when it touched her skin. The cool wetness against the burns made her sigh with relief. The next one up was made more difficult due to the fact that stretching her arms so far caused more pain to radiate from the burns on her shoulder.

She glanced up at Bellamy, who was still sprawled on his bed watching her struggle. She wanted very badly to turn away from him, but the back of her shirt had been so ripped that she had to keep her arms positioned in certain ways to keep it from falling off the front. Turning away from him meant letting Bellamy see her entirely open back. Lina reached over her shoulder in an attempt to cover the burns in that area, but let her arm drop immediately. Reaching up pulled the skin on her back so tightly that she feared it would rip open. She let out a small sigh and closed the jar. The rest would have to wait for Abby in the morning.

Bellamy must have sensed her defeat and rose from the bed. With one long stride, he came to stand inches away from her. He tore the jar from her hand with his hands on her upper arms, spun her around.

"Stop!" she protested and tried to turn herself to him again, but his arms were firm.

"Just let me do it." he said with a flat tone.

"Please don't." She let the words spill out on a soft cry. She had stopped fighting against him, but the thought of his hands touching the burns made her heart pound. The pain was unbearable when she touched them herself, a strangers touch would be excruciating. It was the fear of pain, mixed with the fear of Bellamy Blake, mixed with the embarrassment of him seeing her body that caused the tears to spill silently onto her cheeks. She was thankful that he couldn't see them.

"Its alright." His voice was much softer this time. "I'm not gonna hurt you." And he didn't. His fingers traced over the burns so lightly that had they not been covered in the cooling gel, she probably wouldn't have felt them. Her breathing began to even out, and her heart slowed to a manageable pace once again.

"Who shot the gun?" she asked abruptly, vaguely remembering the events of rescue. "When you untied me, I heard a gunshot."

"Octavia. She fired a shot into the air to get everyone's attention so I could get to you." He explained. His hand finished with the last burn. "I didn't think to get you other clothes." He gave a light tug on the ripped fabric of her shirt. "But it's probably better not to have any material rubbing against these tonight." His fingers pressed against her bare back to signify the burns. She gave an involuntary shudder under his touch and he dropped his hand. "Get some sleep." He said in a gruff voice and Lina heard him resume his position on the cot.

She laid herself face down on her own cot, not bothering to get under the covers. Her back was on fire and caused her whole body to feel unusually warm. Using her arm as a pillow, she closed her eyes and waited for sleep.

But sleep never came.

Each time she closed her eyes the faces of her family flashed before her. First Hannah, with her big green eyes looking at her with admiration and childlike curiosity. Then her father, his nearly black eyes, which matched hers, were filled with wisdom and unconditional love.

Some hours later, a muffled sound from Bellamy's cot made her turn her head. She laid her cheek against the thin mattress and watched in astonishment as the young man's body jerked in his sleep. Another small noise escaped his lips and she realized that Bellamy was having a nightmare.

She remembered when her father used to suffer from night terrors. His screams would wake her in the dead of night and she'd run to his room in a panic. She had learned quickly that it's a bad idea to wake someone who is in the middle of a nightmare. Once she had shaken her father's arm in an attempt to bring him out of it and he had unconsciously closed his hand around her throat and thrown her into the wall.

Her father had never told her what his dreams were about. Her best friend Lauren's father was a ground man in a different sector than her father. She had once over heard him talking about how the savages had attacked a group of soldiers on a supply run. Four of the seven men in her father's crew had been killed by the Grounders. She couldn't blame her father for having a rough time sleeping.

"Bellamy." She said a voice hardly louder than a whisper. She knew she couldn't bring herself to shake him awake, and part of her wanted him to suffer through whatever was happening inside his mind. Silently, she watched as he thrashed around under his covers while she wondered what on earth Bellamy Blake was afraid of.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, this chapter may not seem like much, but it was originally part of an even longer chapter that I decided to break up! More to come soon! Keep the reviews coming! You guys are great!**

Bellamy was up before the sun the next morning. His shirt was drenched in sweat from his horrible dream. Since the first 100 had landed on Earth, Bellamy had been having nightmares. But none were as bad the few he'd had after the incidents of Mount Weather. Up until then, every death he had caused had been warranted. His victims had caused their own demise by attacking him or his people. But the people of Mount Weather, they were innocent… most of them. He had slaughter hundreds of men, women, and children to save about forty of his own people. He and Clarke had killed them all.

Well, not all of them.

He glanced over at the cot across from his. Lina was lying mostly on her stomach but just enough on her side so she could pull her legs up to her abdomen. Her arms were wrapped around her body in an attempt to trap her body heat and fend off the cold morning air. He knew that she hadn't fallen asleep right last night away because he had lain in bed listening to her breath for at least an hour before sleep overwhelmed him.

He saw a shiver run through her body and felt guilty all over again. He should have grabbed her extra blankets from sick bay. Reluctantly, he rolled himself out of bed and onto his feet. Without bothering to change from the clothes he slept in, he slid into his jacket. Before he left, he tossed his own blanket over the girl's small form.

He didn't walk more than a few steps from the tent, afraid to leave her alone again. Yesterday, he had been stupid to think that she'd be safe on her own. He'd expected people to be angry about her being in the camp, but had never imagined they would resort to physical violence. Threats maybe, but to actually follow through… never. He wanted to kick himself for his lack of judgement.

"Harper!" he called out, trying to keep his voice low enough not to wake those in the nearby tents. The red headed girl had just walked across the open area between rows of tents. Bellamy waved her down and she limped to his side. She had been hurt inside the mountain. But she was a tough girl and was ready to get back to work even though Abby had been against it.

"Hey, what's up Bell?" she asked with a kind smile.

"Can you do me a favor?" he returned her grin when she nodded. "Just hang out by my tent while I run to see Kane. It'll only be a few minutes. Make sure no one goes in or out, okay?" Harper's blue eyes turned to ice as they narrowed in on him. Her lips formed a straight line before she opened her mouth to speak.

"She's in there, isn't she." She said in a voice close to a growl. Bellamy put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a pleading look. She was the only other person awake, therefore the only one he could ask. "You really think I'm the right person for this?" she cocked her head to the side challengingly.

Bellamy kept his dark eyes linked with hers. She had been through hell in Mount Weather, all because of Lina's leaders. He couldn't blame her for holding a grudge, he'd be mad as hell too. But he also knew that she couldn't blame Lina for what Cage and the doctor had done. Harper knew it too, and Bellamy trusted her.

"Yeah, I do." He squeezed her shoulder and headed to the ship. Kane would already be up, the man hardly ever slept. And sure enough when Bellamy walked through the door of Kane's makeshift office, the man was sitting on an old rusted stool bending over a table. He looked up at Bellamy's footsteps and waved him in.

"Yes, Bellamy?" Kane's voice sounded depleted of any energy. The skin around his eyes looked thin and dark from exhaustion. Bellamy knew the feeling well.

"I was hoping you could get someone to give me clean close for the Mountain Girl." Bellamy said in a very businesslike manner. Kane raised his eyebrows.

"Oh yes," he rubbed his forehead. "how is she? Did Abby see her yet?" the concern in his voice was genuine and Bellamy admired the man for taking such a sincere interest in the health of a girl who had been his enemy just days ago.

"Not yet, sir." Bellamy cleared his throat. "She's still asleep. It's probably too early for Abby to be up too." Kane blinked at the younger man.

"Oh, I see." He closed his eyes. Bellamy got the feeling that Kane had no idea what time it was, which means he'd been in the office all night. "Go see Cara. She's in charge of extra hygienic supplies, which includes clothing. Tell her I sent you." He was still rubbing his forehead, leaving red marks on the skin. "If she gives you a problem, send her to me."

"Thank you." Bellamy nodded curtly and turned to leave, but couldn't help himself from asking the next question. "Sir, why me?" he blurted. "Why did you force her on me and not another guard? Or anyone else for that matter?" Bellamy was well aware that he sounded like a complaining child, but he didn't care.

"Who else would you suggest?" Kane finally pulled his hand from his forehead and looked Bellamy square in the face. "No one else would have done it, even with my orders. And I can't just go and arm untrained civilians now can I?"

"You don't need to arm anyone." Bellamy countered. "What about Raven, or Octavia, hell even Jasper! They can all hold their own if it came down to a fight." Kane's hand slammed down on the table in front of him, causing the papers and pens to bounce in place.

"Is it really a question of _if_ it comes to a fight? The girl was here for one day and she's already been tortured. Do you want to leave her in the hands of Raven, who can barely walk on her own? Or Jasper, who has already been so emotionally traumatized that he wakes up half the camp screaming in his sleep?" Kane's voice was loud and authoritative. "I chose you because right now, you're all I've got."

Bellamy hung his head and stared at the floor. He felt like a boy being reprimanded by his father. And in many ways, that's what Kane had become to him. He looked up to meet the man's eyes once more, with an apology on the tip of his tongue. But Kane's words continued, only this time they were much softer.

"I know that you think it's unfair, that I'm doing this to punish you for what happened in the mountain. But I promise you, Bellamy, that this will be good for you. For both of you." He added before looking back to the papers on his desk, signaling the end of the conversation. Bellamy left without another word.

Outside of the ship, the sun was slowly rising from behind the wall of trees. People were walking about the camp now, most gathering with one another to get in line for food. Bellamy passed them all and made his way to the largest tent at the end of closest row. This particular tent had been set up as a sort of trading post for supplies that weren't as critical as food and weapons. Not only did she have clothes, she had blankets, pillows, shoes, tools, and anything else one could possibly need. Usually, Cara demanded an equal trade for her goods, but on Kane's orders she handed over a long sleeve shirt, jacket, and pair of jeans. He also managed to walk out with a pillow and blanket.

Bellamy was happy to see Harper still in position outside his tent when he returned. She had her arms folded over her chest and was bouncing up and down on her toes. Either she was cold, or she needed to use the bathroom. She didn't smile like she had before. Instead, she inclined her head to him as he approached.

"She didn't make a sound." She informed him. "Probably still asleep."

"Good." Bellamy nodded. The girl needed to sleep so he had no intention of waking her. After thanking Harper, he stepped into his tent. Lina was in the same spot he had left her in. His blanket was draped around her body and he wondered if the clothes he had picked would fit her. Usually it was his mother who would snatch clothes for Octavia on the Arc, so Bellamy was clueless as to how sizes worked for women.

He dropped the pile of clothes on the foot of her bed and took a seat on his own cot. Now that he had gotten her something to wear, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He sat for a few minutes just watching her sleep until he felt too creepy doing so. He lay back and covered his eyes in the crook of his arm. His creaky cot must have been enough to wake her from her deep sleep.

Bellamy heard her rustle around on the bed and he chanced a peek under his arm. She had sat up straight and was now staring ahead towards the tent entrance. Her hands came up to rub her eyes before she realized where she was. Her hands dropped to her lap and she turned to face him.

"Morning." He said, covering his face again. There was a dark bruise on her cheek that he couldn't bring himself to look at. It wouldn't be there if he had just done his job and kept an eye on her.

"Morning." She mumbled back to him.

"There are new clothes on the end of your bed." He pointed in the general direction because he still had his eyes closed. "If they don't fit we'll go get others." She didn't respond for a long time so he lifted his arm and looked at her. Lina's hand was resting on the pile of clothes but other than that she hadn't moved. "Oh, right." He said getting to his feet. "I'll wait outside."

Bellamy wasn't used to sharing a tent with a girl that he wasn't sleeping with. When girls spent the night they usually weren't fussy about changing in front of him. He waited outside the tent for a few minutes, giving her extra time since her injuries were sure to slow her down. He made a mental note to bring her to Abby before breakfast, even though his stomach was making very unpleasant noises.

"You good?" he called through the tent. She didn't answer so he continued to wait. A few tents away he could see his little sister hurrying towards him.

"Bell," she said stopping in front of him "how is she?" Octavia had been there when he had untied Lina from the whipping poles. She knew how much the girl had endured at the hands of outraged citizens. She had been the one to suggest firing the gun into the air as a distraction. If Kane ever found out that Bellamy let her fire his weapon, he'd be strung up on those poles before he could blink.

"She just woke up." he told her with a grim expression. "It was pretty bad, but she'll live." Octavia didn't announce herself to Lina before she pushed open the tent and walked inside. "She's changing." He tried to warn her and catch her arm, but she was already in. Through the flapping door Bellamy could see Lina already had the jeans buttoned over her legs and hips and was in the process of pulling the shirt over her head. He looked away but could feel his cheeks get hot as all his blood rushed into them.


	7. Chapter 7

**So I had the day off and was able to finish both chapters 6 & 7... because I'm a nerd haha. I'm thinking that there's only a few more chapters left in this story. Tell me what you think! Can't wait to hear from you!**

From the outside he couldn't make out the conversation between his sister and the Mountain Girl, but it seemed quite friendly. After another five minutes, both girls emerged from the tent. Lina too it slow as they made their way to Abby's room. She put in a great deal of effort to make sure her back stayed perfectly straight. He guessed that the gel Abby had given her last night had worn off. Octavia walked alongside them for a while until the she inhaled the smell food simmering near the kitchen.

"I'll take you to the showers later if your guard dog here will allow it." she said to Lina and nudged Bellamy with her elbow. "See ya later on." she gave a small wave and bounced off towards the busy dining area. Bellamy and Lina walked the rest of the way to medical in silence. He noticed that her body visibly tensed once Octavia left. Was it because of him? Was she afraid of him?

The thought angered Bellamy. He literally saved her life yesterday, and he had gotten her warm clothes to wear. He'd even brought her a pillow for crying out loud. So why the hell should she be afraid of him? Maybe it had something to do with how he treated her last night. He admitted to himself that he had been a bit harsh with her about not letting him treat her wounds. Now that he thought about it, he had been an asshole. She had told him she didn't need his help and he'd forced it on her anyway.

When they finally reached Abby's office he saw that one of the men that had been injured yesterday was sleeping on a cot in the corner. Abby hustled over to Lina as soon as they stepped inside. She instructed Bellamy to wait in a chair while she escorted the younger girl to the opposite corner and pulled a privacy screen around them. With a deep sigh, he sat down and wondered how long the examination would take. His hunger was slowly turning into nausea. Across the room, the metallic wall was smooth enough to give a vague reflection of him as he sat. His hair was getting a bit too long for his liking and at the moment was quite untidy. His eyes reminded him of how Kane's looked earlier that morning; tired and burdened.

Bellamy looked away from his own mirror image and his eyes landed on another. A few feet away, he could see the reflections of Abby and Lina behind their screen. Her back was to the doctor and her face stared at the wall. She had taken her shirt off and now held it against her chest. He could see her wince in pain every time Abby touched the burns on her back. Something tightened in his chest at the sight of her pained expression. His eyes trailed over her shoulders and collar bones, then down her arms. She looked stronger than he had thought she would be. He felt his cheeks begin to burn again as he noticed how smooth the skin of her shoulders looked in the reflective surface of the wall.

He forced himself to tear his eyes away and focused his vision on the floor in front of him. Another fifteen minutes passed before Abby and Lina came back into his view. They were speaking in such low tones that he couldn't hear what was being said.

"I gave her some medicine to prevent infections." Abby explained to him when the two women stood before him. His eyes glanced towards Lina while Abby continued to speak. "I'm honestly not sure how her body will react. I told her to come to me straight away if she starts to feel sick." Abby snapped her fingers, demanding Bellamy's full attention. "Keep an eye on her." she said almost warningly.

"Right." Bellamy nodded, not appreciating being spoken to like a little boy. Abby's kept her eyes on him for another second or two before looking at Lina again.

"Come back after dinner and I'll take the dressings off. It'll be good for the burns to breathe overnight."

"It's too cold." Bellamy hadn't meant to say the words aloud, but since he had both women looked at him awaiting an explanation. "She'll be uncomfortable all night with a blanket rubbing on her skin, but if she doesn't use one she'll be either sick or frozen by morning." He shrugged, trying to act as though this thought had not crossed his mind many times the previous night.

"I'll be alright." Lina said in a small voice.

"No, he's right." Abby scrunched her face while she thought. "Maybe at some point this evening you can take the bandages off for an hour or two and I can wrap them back up before you sleep." She looked at Bellamy rather than Lina while she spoke because ultimately it was up to him to see that the girl had the time to spare. He nodded although he knew that saying no wasn't an option. Bellamy was a strong, the type of guy everyone would bet on to win a fight, but Abby Griffin scared the living hell out of him.

He and Lina headed for the kitchen in search of breakfast. He heard her stomach gurgle on the way over and laughed to himself. They were both starving and once they had their trays and seats at a table they dug into their meal. Bellamy had been so focused on the pancakes (really just a patty of mashed up vegetables scouts found on the outskirts of the camp) that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps behind him.

"Now we're givin' it our food too?" the voice said loudly, purposefully attracting attention. Lina's dark eyes went wide with terror when she looked up at whoever was standing at Bellamy's back. He saw her hands begin to shake and she fidgeted in her seat. He had a feeling that he was about to turn and see one of the men responsible for her whipping yesterday.

And sure enough, when Bellamy pivoted, he came face to face with Robert Starkard. The tall man stared down at Lina with a look of disgust. Bellamy stood up and was happy to realize that his eyes were level with Robert's.

"Walk away." Bellamy's voice was like a growl when it vibrated out of his throat.

"She's eating our food." Robert repeated, eyes still on the girl. Bellamy positioned himself so that he filled Robert's field of vision.

"Don't start anything, Rob. You won't win." he warned.

"They tried to kill us all, and here you are defending the bitch." He spat. "You might as well just let me finish what you started back in the mountain." A smirk crossed his face and Bellamy's hands curled into tight fists. "You should have died in that mountain, girl." He hollered over Bellamy's shoulder. "You should be buried in the ground with the rest of your fucking people."

With that, Bellamy snapped. He yanked the hunting knife from its holder on his jeans and held to Robert's throat. An immediate hush fell over the crowd. Bellamy couldn't hear anything except the rushing of his own blood through his veins.

"Look at her again," he snarled "and you'll be the one buried in the ground." He slowly pulled the knife away from Robert's neck and watched as a tiny droplet of blood rolled down into the collar of his shirt.

Bellamy grabbed Lina by the arm and hoisted her to her feet. He didn't look back at the crowd that had gathered around their table as they walked away. His actions had been impulsive and reckless. Being honest with himself, he wasn't sure if it was Robert's threats towards Lina or the fact that he'd implied that Bellamy was a murder that had caused him to lose control. He'd have to come up with a good explanation before he spoke to Kane.

Lina struggled to keep pace with him but he didn't slow down until they were only a few tents away from his own. Bellamy kept his hand around her upper arm as they strode but he made sure to keep his grip light, remembering how she'd stiffened when Octavia left her alone with him earlier. Once they reached the tent, Lina pulled her arm from him and went inside. Bellamy followed and wasted no time lying face down on his cot. He didn't look at her. He didn't want to because he could just imagine the petrified look on her face. If she had been afraid of him before, she'd be terrified now.

"Thank you." He heard her whisper and he crinkled his face in confusion. Had he heard wrong or was she really thanking him? Bellamy rolled onto his back so he could see her. She was standing in between their two beds gazing down at him. Her tangled black hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and for the first time he noticed how perfectly her hair color matched her eyes. It occurred to him that on anyone else eyes like hers would have been menacing, full of unspoken threats. But there was nothing about the girl in front of him that screamed danger.

She was smaller than him, probably a year or two younger as well. But he wouldn't describe her as little. Although her features were petite, her body was thicker than most of the girls on the Ark. He had noticed how the bodies of all the one hundred had changed over the last few months on Earth. Their meals had become more substantial than the ones they ate on the Ark, and more protein had been added to their diets. They had also started to use their muscles in ways that had never been useful in space. Their bodies had grown to resemble those of the Grounders, those of the Mountain Men who'd always had access to more nutrition. Their bodies became toned and solid rather than frail and thin. He liked her body, it suggested health and strength. Bellamy had been with his share of girls, but he still found himself wondering what it would be like to hold a body like hers, rather than the malnourished body of a Sky Person.

Lina shifted her weight from one to another and Bellamy realized he had been staring at her for too long.

"Thank you, for standing up for me." she repeated herself. He could see that she was still shaken from the incident.

"They'll all calm down eventually." He tried to make his voice sound convincing. She nodded in false agreement. "You'll be okay." He said with more conviction this time, and he meant it. He knew Kane wouldn't allow any more incidents to go without punishment and he was pretty sure Abby would single handedly kill the man who tied her up again. And if his knife to Robert's throat was any indication, he wouldn't let them touch her either.

Bellamy was all too thankful when Octavia stuck her head in the tent. The crazed look in her eyes told him that she had already heard the news. Her lips were pursed together and she stared at him as though deciding if she should be angry or pleased with him. With her eyes jumping from him to Lina and back again, she finally spoke.

"I'm taking her to the showers." She said to Bellamy. Her voice had a note of finality to it that told him not to argue. "And don't worry, Lincoln will walk us there and back." She added, reading the concern on his face. There was no doubt in his mind that Lina would be safe from harm with the Grounder at her side, so Bellamy nodded.

Once the girls left him alone, he covered his eyes with his arm to block any sunlight that was leaking in through the thin walls of the tent. He needed to take a minute to process what had happened at the dining area, time to fabricate an excuse to feed to Kane when he was questioned.

But he didn't get that minute before he heard Marcus Kane's voice come booming through the tent.


	8. Chapter 8

**So I thought I would clear up any confusion about how to pronounce the main character's name haha. Lina is pronounced LEE-NUH, as in Angelina without the Ange- lol Keep leaving reviews I love to read them! Thanks for all the positive feedback!**

"I'm really surprised that my brother would pull a knife on someone like that." Octavia commented as they walked towards the ship. Lina looked over sideways at her. "He's a pretty rational person." She continued "I'd expect him to yell at the guy, but to actually pull his knife and draw blood…" she was shaking her head and the big man beside her stifled a laugh.

Lincoln was probably the largest man Lina had ever encountered. He was almost savage like in his appearance and movements. But he didn't scare Lina, in fact she felt oddly comfortable around him. Maybe that was because he seemed to be one of the only people in Camp Jaha that didn't stare at her with hate written across his face.

"What's funny?" she asked him but he only shook his head. The showers were worse than she'd expected. A few small hoses dribbled water onto the ground separated by metal doors and hanging tarps. At the entrance there was an area to pick up and drop off soap. The very thought of sharing soap with hundreds of complete strangers made Lina cringe. Did she really need to shower?

But despite her skepticism, a long sigh escaped her mouth when the warm water splattered her face. Careful to keep her back as dry as possibly, she let it wash away the dirt and blood from her skin and generously applied the soap over her body, including her hair. It felt as though she had been standing under the water for hours when Octavia's voice rang from outside her stall. She'd been warned that each person was allotted three minutes of water. Anything longer and guards would come hull you away for wasting resources.

Grudgingly, she shut the water off and pulled her clothes down from the small nail she had hanged them on. Although she'd only worn the new clothes for a few hours, they somehow seemed dirty to her. Maybe it wasn't the dust and debris that made them feel filthy to her, maybe it was the echo of Robert's words that still clung to the fabric.

 _You should have died in that mountain, girl_ , his voice screamed in her head. _You should be buried in the ground with the rest of your fucking people_. Images of her family and friends rushed to the forefront of her mind; images that she'd been trying desperately to suppress.

"Lina, come on." Octavia prompted her along. As quickly as she could Lina slipped into the clothing once again, her thoughts back on Robert. He had said something else before Bellamy silenced him. _You might as well just let me finish what you started back in the mountain_. It wasn't the words themselves, it was the way he'd said them and look he'd given Bellamy. Almost as though they were directed to him, and him alone.

The two girls and Lincoln took their time walking back to Bellamy's tent. Lina had to admit that she felt refreshed and more awake after her shower. Her company had been asking her all sorts of questions about life inside Mount Weather.

"What did you do for fun?"

"Usually played cards and got drunk." She explained how some kids were able to make alcohol by distilling wheat that they stole from the kitchen.

"Did you go to school?"

"Of course we did." She described some her favorite classes to them, like World History and Literature. Octavia seemed absolutely shocked that Lina's life underground was so similar to hers in the sky. Lincoln on the other hand became very quiet. She assumed that life as a Grounder was vastly different from hers and Octavia's. A part of her wanted to ask him questions about his childhood, but she didn't.

"Hey," Octavia grabbed Lina's hand before she was able to step into Bellamy's tent "if you need anything, just find me. Okay?" Her eyes were more serious that she'd ever seen them. In that moment Lina could have cried at the girl's kindness. "I know that sometimes my brother can be a real dick," she grinned "but you'll be safe with him." She gave Lina's hand a final squeeze and released her. Octavia and Lincoln began to walk in the opposite direction when she turned around and shouted "Oh, and you have my permission to kick his ass if he's mean."

Lina had a wide smile on her face when Bellamy appeared from the tent. She looked up at his face and found a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. He had apparently heard his sister's final words. She saw a light in his rather dark eyes that she had not seen before, a light that she was sure only a sister could bring about. He squinted down at her, shielding his eyes from the bright sun.

"I have to check on some things." His voice was flat, as though he wanted nothing less than to 'check on some things'. "Mind taking a walk?" although it was posed as a question, she knew she couldn't say no. "I figured once I'm done we can take lunch back to the tent." His suggestion took a huge weight off of her shoulders. She had been dreading going back to the dining area.

"Yes, please." She squeaked. He handed her a canteen and held out his hand with two small pills resting in his palm. She recognized the medicine Abby had instructed her to take. Every three hours, she was supposed to swallow this medicine and pray that it didn't make her vomit. So far, so good.

As she had yesterday, Lina stood behind Bellamy as he spoke with different groups of people. She listened to him give orders, hear reports, and argue with a few people who weren't happy with her presence. After a while she became good at reading his freckled face and guessing his responses before he gave them. She made it into a little game in order to pass the time, and before she knew it they were in line at the kitchen. She hadn't gotten a chance to finish her breakfast, and her stomach reminded her of this loud and clear.

"Dito." Bellamy said when her stomach lurched a second time. She looked up at him in confusion.

"What?" she asked, unsure of the word he'd used.

"Dito, it's kinda like a way of saying 'me too'." He laughed gesturing to her stomach and then to his own. She decided that she liked his laugh. It was something she could tell was rare, but pleasant nonetheless. Their walk back to the tent was slow, and she knew that he kept his pace at a manageable pace for her. The two of them sat on their respective beds and Lina began to guzzle down the food she'd been given.

"Easy," he warned "too fast and you'll upset your stomach." Lina nodded and did her best to take smaller bites. But it was too late. Her stomach was beginning to curdle and her mouth started salivating. She sprang to her feet and ran for the exit, and she kept running in hopes of making it to the fence. She felt it rising in her throat as she dodged in between tents. When her outstretched hand finally collided with the wire fence, she vomited on the ground in front of her.

It stung the back of her throat and her eyes began to water, blurring her vision. Her insides shook as she retched a second time. Lina was very aware of Bellamy's large hand on her back as she doubled over again. His free hand pulled the hair from her face and held it away at the base of her neck.

"Get away." She said in a rasping voice as she flung her arm back at him. She didn't want anyone to see her get sick. It was disgusting and she was sure that her face was red and shining with sweat. "Leave me alone." She swatted at him again but his hand caught her wrist. He held it in the air for a few seconds before releasing her. Lina's stomach constricted again, but there was nothing left inside of her.

"You think it's done?" he asked when a few minutes had passed. His deep voice seemed a bit softer, almost comforting. She nodded and straightened her back. "Let's go get you to Abby." He left his hand on her back and guided her in the direction of the ship.

"I think I'm okay." She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. "It was probably just the food mixed with the medicine. No need to bother Abby." She desperately wanted to avoid the medical center. She'd been there so often that she was afraid they might make her sleep there, with the sick and the dying. She thought of the dead man she'd seen lying on Abby's table and shivered. Bellamy stopped walking and turned to her. His eyes studied her face and she felt a red hot flush creep into her cheeks under his scrutiny.

"You don't have to go inside." He said, sensing her hesitation to visit the doctor. "But I want her to know what's going on." Bellamy pressed his hand flat against her shoulder blade and nudged her to keep walking. "If she has any serious concerns then I can't stop her from bringing you in, but if it's just a matter of switching medicines or getting rest then we can handle it on our own."

Lina's head perked up when she'd heard the word _we_. So Bellamy thought of them as a team rather than a babysitter and child. She liked that. She also liked the warmth that had begun to trickle through her body from the point on her back where his hand lay. Another shiver ran down her spine

They reached the medical center and as promised, Bellamy left her in the hallway while he spoke to Abby. There were at least twenty other people in her office, which explained Abby's red face and disheveled appearance. She was extremely busy. The doctor didn't seem too surprised by the news which made Lina a bit more at ease with her vomiting episode. It must have been something that Abby had anticipated because she had a bottle of pills ready to hand over to Bellamy.

Back at his tent he repeated what Abby had told him. The first pills were probably too strong for her system to handle, and so the new medicine won't work as quickly, but should still help. She nodded and took two more pills like the good little patient she was. Abby had also provided Bellamy with extra bandages and more of the ointment that they had used on her back. The medical center was so busy that Abby had trusted them to redress her wounds on their own.

"We should take them off now while there's nothing going on." Bellamy cleared his throat. "Then, uh, wrap you back up before we get dinner."

Lina knew that arguing would be useless so they went about it in a very professional manner. She turned her back to him and he lifted her shirt and removed the medical tape from each burn with minimal touching. She didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable as she had the last time Bellamy saw her this way.

" It really doesn't look too bad." He commented. He was so close to her that she could feel the breath of his words on the back of her neck and shoulders. "I know it probably hurts like a bitch though."

"It's not like it was." She gave a small shrug before melting into her cot with her back facing the ceiling. The long sleeve shirt was pulled up over her shoulders so that it wouldn't irritate the blisters. He was about to sit on his bed when they heard Kane's voice call his name from outside. Lina hoisted herself up onto her elbows, ready to pull her shirt back down in case the chancellor took it upon himself to enter the tent. Bellamy strode to the flap and disappeared from her view. She could hear the two men whispering for a few moments before he returned.

"He wants to talk to you." Bellamy surprised her by crouching down at the side of her cot, making their faces level. Lina's cheek pressed into the thin mattress as she watched Bellamy speak. His fingers clung to the edge of the bed keeping him steady. "Do you want me to have him come back another time?" his eyes drifted down over the curve of her back. "Or are you okay to talk with him now?"

"I'll talk to him." She didn't want to appear weak so she pushed herself back onto her elbows. As she was about to reach around and tug her shirt down in the back, Bellamy's hands were already gripping the hem. Very slowly he dragged the fabric over her scorched skin, the backs of his fingers sliding along her sides as he did so. She let out a short ragged breath at the sensation that his skin left on hers.

When Kane finally showed himself, she was sitting at the edge of the bed waiting. Bellamy had stepped out so the two of them could speak privately, but she was sure he hadn't ventured far. Kane looked tired but the fatigue didn't resonate in his voice.

"Marcelina." He greeted, letting his mouth curve into a small smile

"Lina." She corrected.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She shrugged, not really knowing how else to answer. Kane knew it was a lie.

"I want you to know that the men who hurt you are going to be punished." His eyes were hard as he said the words. She wished he would sit down so that he wouldn't tower over her and seem so menacing. When he made no effort to find a seat, Lina rose to her feet.

"I don't care if they're punished." She snapped, taken aback by her own intensity. "I don't care what happens to them as long as they leave me alone."

"They won't come near you again." his head bobbed up and down in a curt nod. "Your back?" he asked.

"Fine." There was a brief moment where she thought he was going to ask to see the burns, but he didn't.

"Do you have enough to keep you warm?"

"Yes."

She couldn't explain why she was being so short with Kane, and she knew it was rude to do so. The man had shown her nothing but kindness from the second she'd awoken in his camp. But she was angry, not at him particularly, but in general. She was angry about the situation she was in; angry about the men who had tied her to posts and electrocuted her; angry about her people suffocating inside the mountain that had been their home.

"I'm sorry." She looked down at her feet, ashamed of herself. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Kane."

"And I apologize for the behavior of my people. I expected more from them." he admitted with his mouth set in a straight line. The conversation ended and Kane took his leave. Bellamy didn't return to the tent, but she knew in her gut that he was only a few feet away, standing on the other side of the thin wall. She laid herself back down and pulled the shirt up again relishing the way the cool evening air felt as it brushed against her skin. Although she was cold, she made no effort to warm herself.

Lina wasn't sure how much time had passed since Kane's visit, but she was sure that she had dozed off once or twice. Bellamy had still not reentered his tent when she finally sat up and placed her feet on the hard ground.

Without warning, Lina hunched over and hurled. The contents of her stomach formed a reddish brown puddle between her feet.

Blood.


	9. Chapter 9

"Bellamy!" Lina cried out in a strangled voice as her stomach heaved again. He was at her side just in time to watch the last bit of blood drip from her mouth. His dark eyes widened in horror and for a moment he seemed frozen in place. Then suddenly, he was in motion.

His big arms slid around her, one under her knees the other around her back. The pressure of his arm on her burns stung, but she didn't complain. Bellamy lifted her off the bed at the same time she threw her arms around his neck to keep herself steady. Lina kept her eyes shut and clung to him as he ran to the medical station. Her tears soaked through his thick sweater when they spilled out uncontrollably.

What was happening to her? Abby had said the meds could cause vomiting, but Lina was sure this wasn't what she had been talking about. Her insides felt as though they were on fire while at the same time goosebumps covered her flesh. Every sound echoed loudly in her head and caused a searing headache. She pressed her forehead to Bellamy's shoulder, hoping it would staunch the pain. Each long step he took made her stomach bounce around inside her and threatened to send more blood spewing from her mouth.

When Bellamy burst through the doors of the medical center Lina opened her eyes just enough to see that all twenty or so people had snapped their head towards the door. Some eyes narrowed in suspicion and dislike, and others grew large with horror and curiosity.

"Abby!" Bellamy called; Lina heard the sound vibrate in his chest. The doctor pushed her way through the crowd. She took a long look at Lina, then shifted her eyes to the young man carrying her.

"Put her on an open bed," Abby's hand gestured to a corner filled with cots, most of which were already occupied. "I'll get to her as soon as I'm…"

"No. Now Abby." Bellamy cut her off in a hoarse and irritated voice. But Abby was shaking her head.

"Bellamy, look at all these people!" she spread her arms out at her sides. "I will get to her as soon as I can, but I can't just drop my other patients." Despite Bellamy's shouts of protest, Abby kept her voice calm and controlled. "Let me finish up with that young boy over there, and then I'll come take a look." She finally compromised. Bellamy stomped through the throng of people towards a vacant bed in the far corner of the room. Rather than laying Lina down, he sat, keeping her against his chest. The action made her feel like a small child, but she didn't have the energy to be annoyed. Instead, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his rapid heartbeats. His arms now snaked their way around her middle, keeping her tightly pressed to him.

"Abby's going to help." his head bent down so that his whispered flowed directly into her ear. "You're gonna be okay." He repeated those words until the doctor finally came for them. Bellamy carried Lina behind a curtain and carefully placed her on the metal table. As he turned to leave on Abby's instructions, something compelled Lina to reach out and grab the hem of his shirt. She had a gnawing feeling that if he left her, she wouldn't be able to hold herself together. She felt like a cracked piece of glass that was ready to crumble at any moment into thousands of tiny shards, and Bellamy was the only thing keeping her whole. Lina couldn't explain what made her think like that. Perhaps it was because she had absolutely no one left in the world to hold onto. Everyone who could ever care about her wellbeing was gone, and all she was left with was Bellamy Blake.

Her thoughts sounded pathetic, even to herself. But to her astonishment, Bellamy took a hold of her hand, weaving his fingers in with hers. He stayed by her side while Abby examined her. She listened to her heart, checked her temperature, drew some blood, looked in her throat, and did a million other things that doctors do when they're unsure of why someone is ill. In the end, Abby gave Bellamy a serious look and jerked her head back, signaling him to go with her. Once the two stepped behind the curtain, all Lina could hear were their hushed and urgent murmurs.

When the screen was pushed aside again, Abby appeared alone. Her face was full of pity and the sight of it made Lina feel even worse. She hated being pitied. When the doctor finally spoke, Lina was prepared to hear the worst.

"I was wrong." Abby cast her eyes to the floor in shame and continued after a short pause. "While your body is able to filter the radiation out of your blood streams more efficiently than any of the others' in Mount Weather, it isn't working fast enough. The radiation is slowly seeping into your body and you can't fight it off." Lina processed the new information for a few minutes while Abby waited patiently.

"So, I'm dying." She finally concluded. Strangely, the realization didn't frighten her. It was almost as though she had expected this all along and it was somehow comforting that she no longer had to wait for it to happen.

"If we don't take action, yes you will die." Lina liked the way Abby didn't sugar coat things. "However, Jasper told me that while he was in the mountain, your doctor ran a sick girl's blood through his system. It filtered out radiation and she lived."

Lina's mind flashed to images of Maya. She remembered hearing that her friend had been saved by using the Sky People's blood. She should have guessed that it had been Jasper to volunteer for such a risky experiment. Her eyes met Abby's.

"I can't let anyone risk their life for me like that." Her voice was strong and filled with conviction. She wouldn't let it happen. Besides, she was sure that no one would volunteer to save the life of a Mountain Girl. They all hated her as it was, why would they help her?

"It's not as risky as it sounds." Abby looked down at Lina on the metal table. "And it would buy us more time to figure out a permanent solution."

"It's not permanent?" Lina tried her luck at sitting up, but fell back onto her elbows.

"Well, no." Abby took a deep breath. "Presumably, your body will accept the new blood for a few days, maybe even a week. But eventually, the radiation will work its' way back in." Lina was shaking her head and Abby raised her voice. "It's possible that after a few treatments your body will figure out how to do the work on its own!"

"No." Lina protested adamantly. Abby pressed her lips together to form a straight line. She was visibly annoyed at Lina's stubbornness, but she did not argue.

That's when Lina should have realized something was wrong. From what she had been told, Abby Griffin was a force to be reckoned with. Even Bellamy had been worried about pissing her off. The fact that the doctor had simply given up on an argument should have made Lina skeptical. But her body was too weak to notice and sleep dragged her into oblivion.

A sharp pinch on her forearm woke her abruptly sometime later. Her eyes trained in on her arm as a long needle was being pulled from the flesh. She looked up to find Abby standing over her. She yanked her arm from the doctor's grip, but it was too late. Whatever she'd been injected with was already working its way through her veins.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lina half yelled at the woman. Abby shook her head and stayed silent as Lina felt her body begin to drift back to sleep. She fought against the drowsiness but her eyelids had become like steel doors. They fell together at an agonizingly slow pace. She was still shaking her head in objection when her world went dark.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the great reviews and follows! As always please R &R**

The next time Lina's eyes opened she was instantly aware of the thick straps around her wrists and ankles that tethered her body to the table. She craned her neck and found two tubes embedded into the flesh of her forearm. Each tube was filled with a reddish black liquid and flowed from her to another form lying on a another table

Marcus Kane.

Her breath caught as she ran her eyes over his still body. His chest was still rising and falling steadily, telling her that he was alive. Like her, he must have been sedated, but unlike her, he was not tied down like a criminal. She struggled against the restraints, hoping to tear free with pure strength, but quickly realized it was futile.

"Abby!" she called out into the silence. She was mindful that they must have been brought to separate area from Medical. The room was much darker and quieter than Abby's office. She clenched her jaw hard and ground her teeth together in frustration. She couldn't have been clearer with Abby that she didn't want this. She hadn't wanted help from the Sky People, she would have rather died. At least then she could have been with her family and friends.

"Marcelina." Abby's voice trailed in from behind Lina's head. "I didn't expect you to wake up so soon."

"Let me go!" Lina continued to wiggle under the pressure of the straps. The cool metal of the table felt refreshing against the burns on her back, but the weight of her body left an incessant sting in the wounded area.

"Please lay still." Abby kept her voice hushed, as though she didn't want to wake the chancellor.

"Kane!" Lina screamed in defiance. If Abby wanted him to stay asleep, then Lina wanted him awake… just for spite. "How dare you." She hissed at Abby. Kane's eyes fluttered open towards the ceiling.

"Marcus." Abby took two large steps so she could be at his side. "Don't move." She instructed with a hand on his chest to keep him down. "It's almost done."

"I didn't give you my permission." Lina cried out furiously, watching the blood flow through the tubes from her body to Kane's.

"Lina, please try to stay calm." Kane's voice sounded gruff with sleep.

"Why did you do this?" she asked, closing her eyes to stop the tears from spilling over. "I was ready to die, don't you get that?"

"And we couldn't sit by and watch it happen." Abby sighed with exasperation.

"I didn't want anyone to have to do this. Not for me." she motioned to Kane with her eyes. His skin looked shiny and pale even under the dim light. A few times she saw him shudder slightly but was unsure of what caused it to rattle through his body.

"I wanted to do it. I'm a grown man and make my own decisions." She watches a smile cross his face. "And as chancellor I made an executive decision to outlaw suicide by radiation poisoning." He turned his head to peer at her, but her expression was stoic and unamused.

"Marcus was also the only one with your blood type that we could find on such short notice." Abby informed her. Lina didn't reply. Instead she gazed at the ceiling shaking her head. Neither of the adults spoke to her for the next half hour until Abby formally stated that the process was complete. The entire content of Lina's veins had been circulated through Kane's body and was now decontaminated of any radiation.

For now.

Abby tried like hell to keep Lina on the table after she released her from the restraints, but had no luck. The girl was on her feet and walking, albeit wobbly, before anyone could stop her. She was grateful that her head had stopped pounding and she no longer felt the urge to vomit every time she moved, but the rage tore at her like a caged animal.

It wasn't so much the fact that she had made peace with death as much as the fact that she now felt like she owed them something. They had saved her life, and if she was being honest it was the second time they had done so. Had they not taken her into their camp there was no doubt that she would have died out on the ground. She wondered what would be easier to endure, the excruciating painful and slow process of death by radiation, or the agonizing hatred that poured into her from most of the citizen of Camp Jaha.

Lina had been walking aimlessly through the ship corridors. She wasn't sure where the exit was but she knew that eventually she'd stumble upon it. And then what? Would she stride out into the open unprotected? Where would she go from there? To Bellamy's tent? Through gates and into the deep dark forest?

There was a trickle of anger inside her for Bellamy, although not as pronounced as her fury with Abby and Kane. Bellamy must have known what the chancellor and doctor had been planning, and he most likely knew that she was against the entire idea. But he had still allowed it to proceed. The thought made her feel as though she was still tied to the medical table. Yes, she was up and walking and free to move as she pleased, but in reality she had no freedom. Her opinion and her wishes meant nothing to these people. They would be the ones who controlled her life from now on. They would be the ones who made the important decisions regardless of how she felt on the matter.

At last she came face to face with the exit, the blue tarp dancing on the cold breeze that flowed through the gaping hole in the wall. She stood frozen and stared at the exit, unsure of what to do next or where to go. Maybe it was better if she hide somewhere in the ship. At least it would be warm and free of the danger posed by the Sky People who wanted her strung up and beaten. Unexpectedly, a hand came to rest lightly on her shoulder. Lina jumped back in alarm and looked up into the face of the chancellor. His skin still seemed too sallow and thin for her liking, but he smiled nonetheless.

"Go ahead." He motioned to the door. She understood and took the first step into the moonlight and Kane followed close behind, his hand still on her shoulder. Although she wanted nothing more than to be far away from him, she was grateful for him as they moved through camp. They walked in silence while her feet guided her across the long stretch of open grass and mud. To her amazement, not a single glare or curse word was thrown her way and they glided past groups of campers. She was certain that Kane's presence had something to do with that. He was their leader, and he had their upmost respect. With Kane by her side it was though she was standing behind a thick sheet of protective glass.

She led them to the only place in the camp that she knew, Bellamy's tent. She didn't announce herself before stepping through the flap, followed by Kane. The young man was asleep on his cot, huddled under two blankets. Kane didn't say a word when he gave a shoulder a reassuring squeeze and left the tent. Apparently he believed she would be okay with the unconscious Bellamy for protection. But she wasn't so sure. Asleep, the man looked more like a child than a twenty-something year old. His face was free of worry, free of stress, free of fear. His usually intimidating appearance was staunched by the light patch of freckles that dusted his nose and cheeks.

She huffed; annoyed that she could feel her anger towards him dwindling. How could she be mad when he looked so innocent? She thought of waking him for no other purpose than to satisfy her need to be irritated with someone, anyone! But then she remembered the night before, when Bellamy had turned over restlessly in his sleep. She wondered how often he actually slept, and she felt a tinge of guilt at the idea of pulling him back to this shitty reality. Tomorrow was a new day, maybe then she wouldn't have so much trouble being furious with him.

She lay on her own cot and turned on her side with her back to him. She didn't want to keep looking at the man. She didn't like to think that someone who looked that peaceful and guiltless could have allowed hundreds of innocent people, her people, to perish in the place they called home. She wondered where he had been when her sister and father were dying in front of her eyes.

A thought tugged at the back of her mind. Something she had heard Robert say but hadn't paid much attention to. It had been a comment about the death of her people, about finishing what Bellamy had started.

The wind howled startling Lina and causing her to lose her train of thought. The cold air pierced the walls of the tent and sent shivers up her spine. She tugged the blankets up around her chin and curled herself into a tight ball to conserve body heat. God knows she wanted to sleep and cast the events of the day out of her mind (Had it really been less than 24 hours since Bellamy had threatened Robert with his knife?). But sleep was elusive that night. She had been unconscious for so long in the medical wing that her body rejected the rest. Instead she lay silently on her cot, staring at the wall pushing every thought that came to mind off to the side.


	11. Chapter 11

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When Bellamy's eyes shot open he knew that the sun had not risen. No sun light shone through the tent, making it impossible to see more than shadows. He lay for a few minutes, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. To his right he heard a low creak of metal.

On the extra cot he'd hauled into his tent a few days before lay a small unmistakable figure. He could tell that she was bundled beneath the blankets for warmth, but still saw the soft tremors caused by the cold.

Winter had snuck up on the Sky People like a predator on the hunt. For weeks, their minds had been set on the rescue mission in Mount Weather. Not once had anyone stopped to ask what the hell they would do when the snow began to fall and food began to run short. They had such limited resources that Bellamy knew death was inevitable for some of their people. Young children and elderly would be the first to go, their bodies not strong enough to cope with the harsh conditions of Earth's winter months.

Lincoln had been working with the hunters, showing them new ways to trap and kill beasts. With his help they'd been able to double their haul each day. Kane had already set ration controls which allowed them to store more meat for the winter when most animals were driven into hibernation. Fresh water wasn't much of a concern. Once the snow started falling they would be able to melt it by the gallon and ration it out as well.

The cold was the biggest challenge they would face. Lincoln suggested hot houses, which was how his people survived each year. A few chosen areas throughout the camp would be set up with large fires and blankets and all the citizens would be split among them. They'd share the heat of the fire and the heat of each other.

From her cot Lina let out a small cough. He sat up and readied himself to rush her back to the medical center, but relaxed when she made no other sounds. He wondered when she had made her way back to his tent. Had she been carried? Or was she strong enough to walk? Clearly the procedure had worked if Abby allowed her to leave her sight. She had been sure that Lina would survive and sure that she would die if they didn't try. He had volunteered but his blood wasn't a match. Kane's was, and he didn't hesitate to do it. Abby had told the men of Lina's protests, but Bellamy didn't care. Something in him felt as though saving Lina's life could make up for all those he'd killed.

What a stupid thought.

He watched a shudder run through the small girl's body and heard her teeth begin to chatter. His eyes closed and his head leaned back as he thought about his options. Sharing body heat was the only logical solution, but it was also the one that was most likely to get him slapped. He could have thrown one of his blankets over her, but since his fingers were already starting to lose feeling he knew he couldn't last the rest of the night. Loss of fingers meant he wouldn't be able to grip a gun.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the angered reaction he was sure to get. Doing his best not to touch her, he lifted the corner of the blankets and slid between them. He knew that simply sharing blankets would be enough to keep them warm, no cuddling necessary. For some reason that disappointed him. He hardly knew the girl, and was more than sure that she was still partially terrified of him. But he felt responsible for her, like it was his job to keep her warm and safe.

What a stupid thought.

He was the reason she was here in the first place. Her entire life was in shambles and it was his fault. He had pulled that lever. He had opened the air locks allowing the contaminated air to fill the lungs of every person she's ever loved. The memory disgusted him and he wondered how Clarke was dealing with it. She'd left right after they brought their friends home. her leaving bothered him more than he'd let on, but Clarke was too much like her mother and impossible to argue with. He smiled when he thought of her, but the smile faded when the girl next to him shifted in her sleep.

"What the hell are you doing?" he heard her hiss and his heart fell straight to his stomach. She wasn't sleeping after all. His body stiffened slightly, as though he were caught in the middle of a crime.

"Staying warm." He did his best to sound confident and nonchalant about the closeness of their bodies. Only inches separated his chest from her back, a distance that he wanted so badly to close. For a long time she stayed quiet, and he wondered if she had spoken in her sleep. But then she rolled her head to the side so their eyes could meet. The look lasted longer than it should have, and Bellamy could see the hurt and fear that swirled in her dark eyes. Her lips parted as though she was going to speak, but she turned away from him instead. He had no idea what to do, so he opted for keeping his body as still as he could manage.

"You knew what they were going to do." She said the words in an accusatory manner. Bellamy didn't have to answer. "You know I'm dying. All Abby's doing is prolonging it." Her voice quivered with cold.

"She'll figure out a way to …" he began but she cut him off.

"A way to what?" she slid her body another inch from his. "A way to keep me alive long enough for Robert and his followers to cover my back in more scars?" Bellamy flicked his eyes down between them as though he'd be able to see the burns through the shirt she wore. The guilt tightened around his chest, like a snake constricting its prey. "Maybe next time they can do us all the favor of finishing the job."

Bellamy placed his open palm on her shoulder blade, careful not to hurt her. The touch was meant to be comforting, but she jerked away from his hand at once. He let out a long breath of air before he formed his thoughts into words.

"Not everyone wants to hurt you." He kept his voice low and said the words slowly, hoping that it would calm her nerves. "Robert and his band of trolls are assholes. But there are others who want you to stay. Who want you to live." He thought of his little sister and Lincoln. Raven wanted to meet her as well, but had been working long hours on establishing some kind of water heater. He knew that the rest of the 48 who had been trapped in the mountain held nothing against Lina. The real enemy had been Wallace, and he was dead.

"What if Abby can't find a permanent fix." She whispered. Her voice traveled away from Bellamy making it hard for him to make out her words. He perked himself up onto his elbow so he could lean closer and hear better, but apparently she was done talking. The rest of the night passed by in silence. Bellamy wasn't sure when he had fallen back to sleep, but he did remember noticing that her body had stopped trembling.

When he woke again he was acutely aware of her back brushing against his chest. They had shifted in the night and his hand now rested just above her hip. He removed his hand and listened to her slow breaths. She was finally asleep.

Outside he could hear a commotion and see the silhouettes of people running past his tent. He tried to listen, unwilling to leave the warmth under the blankets. None of the chatter gave him any indication of what was going on and he ground his teeth together at the thought of pulling his body away from hers.

"Bellamy." A deep voice said from the entrance of his tent. His head snapped around to see Lincoln peering in. His eyes traveled over Bellamy and the sleep girl beside him, but he gave no hint of judgement. "You may want to come see this."

"What is it?" He whispered as he made his move to leave the bed. Next to him, Lina gave a small whimper and snuggled deeper into the blankets.

"They found another from the mountain." Lincoln said. Bellamy furrowed his brows in confusion. "Another survivor. An older man."

Lina surprised them both by jolting upright. She'd been awake and listening the whole time. Did the girl ever sleep? When she sat up her shoulder collided with his, but she seemed not to notice. Her big eyes urged Lincoln to continue.

"We found him as we were clearing out the mountain." He spoke directly to Lina. "He was locked in a small room on a lower level."

"Did you get his name?" she asked pushing Bellamy out of her way as she climbed to her feet.

"He hasn't spoken."

She glanced at Bellamy while she tied her shoes. He watched as her shaking hands fumbled with the laces. He bent down in front of her, forcing her eyes to meet his again. Her body was shaking worse than it had the night before, but he knew it wasn't from the cold.

"Relax." He warned her. Bellamy knew that Kane would never let her speak to the man until he had been questioned. There was no use in rushing. "You have plenty of time, don't push yourself." She nodded and took a deep ragged breath before finally lacing the strings of her shoes together.

The three of them walked towards the ship and straight to Kane's office. Miller's father stood guard at the door. He shook his head when they asked for access to Kane and the Mountain Man. Lina tried to shove passed him, but Bellamy caught her arm. Fighting with Miller wouldn't get them anywhere. He knew the protocol, the chancellor had to finish with him before Lina could go inside.

"Don't." he pulled her back from the guard. "Just wait."

He and Lincoln waited across the hall with their backs leaning against the wall. Lina paced in front of him and he could see the wheels turning inside her head. Twice he tried to get her to sit, afraid that she would collapse at any given moment. But all that earned him were glares strong enough to bore a hole through his face.

When Miller finally opened the door for them to enter, Lina didn't hesitate to step through the threshold. Bellamy followed so close behind that the top of her head nearly touched his chin as they walked forward. The man sitting across from Kane was indeed older, maybe in his sixties or even seventies. His hair was white as snow and his body was long and thin. He noticed the way Lina's breath hitched when she saw the man.

"President Wallace!"

Bellamy tried desperately to keep up with fast paced conversation that commenced between the two Mountain people. From what he was able to gather, the old man was the father of the bastard who had herded the Sky People like cattle to be harvested. Lina explained to the man how she was able to survive in the Earth's atmosphere and how it was slowly killing her. While the two became reacquainted, Bellamy , Kane and Lincoln had a conversation of their own.

"You're people will kill him as soon as they realize who he is." Lincoln's eyes drifted to the old man. He had more a reason to hate Cage than any of them, but his eyes remained impartial to the father.

"Not if I tell them he had no part in what happened in the mountain." Kane shook his head. "He was imprisoned by his own son for Christ's sake."

"Doesn't matter." Bellamy shrugged. "They won't see it that way."

"They are rational people." Kane argued. "Most of them take no issue with Marcelina, I don't see why they would have issues with Wallace." Bellamy snorted at the chancellor's ignorance.

"What crime did my sister commit, Kane?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. Lincoln tensed beside him. Kane's eyes never left Bellamy's as he searched for a logical answer. But there was none. "That right," Bellamy continued "Octavia was not a criminal. My mother committed the crime of having a second child and they were both punished. What makes you think that they'd forgive the father for the son's crimes when they couldn't even forgive a sixteen year old girl for the sins of her mother?" the volume of his voice had raised enough to capture Lina's attention.

"I agree." Lincoln interjected. "The man needs to be kept somewhere safe. Here." He gestured around the room. "With guards posted at all times." Bellamy nodded in agreement, and to his astonishment, so did Kane.

The five of them escorted Wallace to the medical wing to be tested by Abby, just as Lina had when she first arrived. The girl stopped at the door, refusing to go inside. He could see the anger bubbling in her eyes.

"We can go back." He stepped in front of her. "Lincoln won't let anyone near him." He nodded towards the president. Relief washed over her face. It was too soon for her face Abby again, and he knew that forcing the two into the same room would only cause more tension and stress on her body. But as they began to walk away from the medical center, Lina stopped in her tracks.

"I can't." she shook her head. "I can't just leave him." She turned on her heels and strode right through the doors before he could stop her. Bellamy watched the girl march passed Abby with nothing more than a sidelong glance in the doctor's direction. She took a seat next to the old man and crossed her arms over her chest. Her back was straight and her chin pushed up in the air as her eyes fell upon Abby once more. Defiance and persistence shone through her eyes, and everyone in the room knew she would not be persuaded to leave.

Bellamy had to bite his lip to hold back a smile. Her stubbornness reminded him of Clarke. He shared a meaningful look with Lincoln, and knew that she'd be safe with him for the time being.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi all! This chapter is pretty sort and I'll admit it's sort of a filler. But I figure it'll give a good look into Bellamy's mind.**

Bellamy tried his best to get through his day without letting thoughts of Lina and Wallace distract him. Playing host to the father of a monster like Cage made Bellamy's skin prick. What was that saying? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree? What if Cage only became a monster because he learned his ways from his father? What if they were trying to befriend the true mastermind? These thoughts ate at him until he could no longer listen to the reports of the men under his control. He'd had to ask one of the hunters to repeat himself twice before he fully grasped what he was saying.

Their hulls had become less and less. Today all they had managed to track down was a large rabbit. Some of the men wanted to try their hand at fishing, but the lake was nearly frozen over already. Perhaps if they cut holes through the thick layer of ice they could catch a few fish. It sounded crazy to Bellamy but they had to try something.

His train of thought derailed when he caught sight of a lanky boy a few feet ahead of him. Instantly he recognized the boy as Jasper, and as always, he was walking alongside his best friend Monty. Today their friendship was a convenience to Bellamy; he would be able to get both of their opinions without have to track each down separately.

"What do you guys know about Wallace?" Bellamy asked out of breath from running to catch up with the boys. Monty was the first to respond.

"Well for starters he's a diabolical ass."

"No, no, not Cage." Bellamy waved his hand in front of his face to fend off the thought of the dead man. "His father."

"President Wallace?" Jasper flung his head in Bellamy's direction. "Why?"

"He's here." Bellamy knew that he was divulging too much information. Kane would be pissed if he found out, but he needed answers. Besides, something in his gut told him that Jasper and Monty were worthy of his trust.

"He's rational." Jasper answered after the initial shock of the news wore off. "He wanted to help us, I think. I'd heard him yell at Cage a few times when they thought they were alone."

"How is he alive?" Monty's brows furrowed together in thought. "Is he like Lina?"

"Abby's running tests on him now to find out." Bellamy answered and gave Jasper a look that asked him to continue, but it was Monty who added his opinion.

"From the first moment I talked to Cage and the doctor I had a bad feeling about them. They just seemed off, you know what I mean?" he looked to his friend for encouragement and received a slight nod in return. "But it was different with President Wallace. He seemed… genuine and respectable."

Bellamy valued Monty's opinion because the kid had been the first to arrive at Mount Weather. Unlike the others, he hadn't been won over by the promise of chocolate cake and a real bed. He'd remained skeptical and attentive, just as Clarke had. He was not easily manipulated, even under extreme circumstances, which was a quality that made him very suitable for a future on the Council.

He nodded in appreciation and left the two boys, feeling more relaxed about the situation than before. As he walked towards the kitchen, his thoughts trailed off to Lina. He couldn't remember the last time he'd shared a bed with a girl and not touched her. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept in the same bed a woman. Usually they were there for one thing, and once they'd accomplished their task he would leave. He wasn't the sort to stick around and feign affection when all he wanted was to get laid. It made him an ass, he was well aware of that. But he couldn't see the point in pretending to have an emotional connection to any of the girl's he'd slept with.

He wasn't that naïve; he knew that there was no connection between them other than the fact that Bellamy had been the one to execute her entire family. If their situation had been reversed, he would have killed her in her sleep. He would have made it his mission to seek revenge for his people, and he would have died in the process. Maybe that's why she seemed so calm. If she acted on the rage that must be buried deep inside her, she'd be dead within minutes. She was small and weak and wouldn't last seconds in a physical battle with any of the Sky People. Lina must know that. He wouldn't be surprised if she had been concocting some sort of revenge scheme while putting on a show of being somewhat friendly and cooperative.

After he finished eating, Bellamy made his way back to the hunting party he had spoken with before. He was in desperate need of a distraction and decided that joining them was the best way to keep his thoughts focused on something other than the girl.


	13. Chapter 13

**I know that in the show President Wallace was killed by Clarke, but for some reason I wanted him in my story. I can't believe this story has over 1,000 views! That's amazing! thanks to everyone who has liked/followed/ reviewed!**

Lina sat with her arms crossed, back against the wall, and eyes locked on Abby. Each time the doctor's eyes met hers, a new bubble of rage grew in the pit of her stomach. She clenched her fists into tight balls in order to stop herself from grabbing the nearest object and hauling it at the doctor's head. She allowed herself to blame Abby for every bad thing that happened to her. It was just easier to be angry with one person rather than with an entire group; especially when some in that group had been nothing but kind to her.

Lincoln had taken a seat next to her and had his elbows resting on his knees. She didn't realize he was looking at her until he spoke in a voice so quiet that she was only one who could hear.

"Try sitting on your hands." He suggested. She knitted her brows together in confusion. "Your knuckles will get sore from holding a fist too long." He glanced down at her hands. "And you're making yourself bleed."

She followed his gaze and was a bit alarmed when she found that he was right. Her fingernails had been digging into the skin of her palms, causing the skin to break and blood to trickle down her wrists. The pain hadn't even registered in her mind until she saw it. Quickly, so that Abby or Kane wouldn't notice, she wiped her hands down the side of her pants. The blood stains wouldn't be obvious against the dark denim.

"You should pick up a hobby," Lincoln gave her a smirk "It eases the anger when you focus on something else."

"Speaking from experience?" She turned her attention back to Abby, not sure if anything could subdue the rage boiling in her veins.

"I've lost many friends in this war. Some at the hands of the Sky People." He was silent but his tone had indicated that he was not done speaking. She looked to her side to see what had distracted him. His eyes were boring directly into hers. "Many at the hands of Mountain Men."

His voice was not threatening or blameful. He stated it as though it was a common fact, but the words rang like sirens in her ears. His eyes held no contempt or disgust towards her, instead they seemed sympathetic. He leaned forward so that the others would see him speak.

"In war, a soldier will do what they have to do for the good of their people. Even if it means sacrificing their humanity."

She stared at him for a few moments. His words were heavy, loaded down with a meaning that she just couldn't grasp. Was he telling her to forget what the Sky People took from her? Fat fucking chance! She had heard about the missiles that Cage had aimed at a grounder camp. From what they told her, almost everyone who'd been in the camp had died. She also knew that the Mount Weather doctors had been harvesting Grounders since the beginning and using them as blood bags. Her heart ached for Lincoln and the loss that he felt, but she could never befriend the people who hurt her family, not like he had.

Lina glanced up at President Wallace. His face had acquired new lines around the mouth and across his forehead, no doubt a result of stress and depression. She wondered if her face had changed. She hadn't looked in a mirror since her arrival at Camp Jaha and was suddenly very aware of her appearance. With an unsteady hand she smoothed down her unruly black curls.

Another thought occurred to her when she peeked back towards her President; why wasn't she as hateful towards these people as he was? His loathing for the Sky People was obviously written on his face. It was apparent as Robert's hatred towards her had been when he had seen her at breakfast. Did her face show her disgust? Did she even really hate these people? Maybe she hated Abby. But Kane? He had just put his own life on the line to save hers, or at least give her more time. Octavia and Lincoln had been nothing but kind to her, and had even managed to make her smile.

She thought of Bellamy. Did she hate him? True, there had been multiple times when she had uttered profanities under her breath because of his arrogance. She remembered the protectiveness he'd showed when Robert threatened her. She remembered the concern on his face when he'd raced her to Abby after she had gotten sick and the way he pushed Abby to make Lina a priority. A flush crept into her cheeks when she thought of how she had woken up that morning with his chest less than an inch from her back and his big rough hand lying lightly on her hip.

She should hate them all. It should be easy. Her whole life had been torn away from her at their hands, but they had saved her and protected her. Her thoughts shifted from her old friends to Octavia's bubbly and contagious laugh; from her father's soft smile to Kane's still body laying on the cot beside her while her blood flowed between them; Hannah's sweet innocent face and Bellamy's blade pressing into Robert's neck.

Lina's mind was brought back to the present when Wallace's voice broke the rigid silence in the room. His face remained hard and his eyes looked at no one in particular.

"So who was it?" he asked. The question didn't register any meaning with Lina, but Abby and Kane shared a look of understanding. "Someone had to be the one to pull the lever." Wallace continued. "I assume Monty was the brain who reversed the fans, but I don't believe that he's capable of mass murder."

Lina couldn't contain the small gasp that escaped her mouth. She understood the weight of the question now. The air in Mount Weather was drawn out by four very large fans. If the fans were to turn in the opposite direction, they would push contaminated air through the vents. That's how it happened. That's how her family and friends died.

"Any of us would have made the same decision." Kane kept his voice calm as he answered. "We regret that the choice had to be made, but in reality…" he let a long pause linger between them before he finished his sentence. He did so with a pointed and stern look at Wallace. "it came down to you or us. And we chose us."

"But who was it?" Lina let the question slip before she could think better. She wasn't even sure she wanted to know the answer. Kane's eyes shot to the floor and he made no attempt to answer. She focused her attention on Lincoln because for some reason she felt that he was the only one who would be truthful with her. But she was again met with silence.

"Abby!" a voice called from the hallway, dragging Lina's thoughts away from Mount Weather. A young girl appeared in the doorway. Her tan skin was covered with dust and Lina noticed a small limp as she made her way towards the doctor. A black metal brace was twisted around the girl's knee.

"Raven, what's wrong?" Kane met her halfway across the room after seeing the worry in the girl's face. Her brown eyes went big when she saw Wallace sitting on the table near Abby, but she only gave a slight pause before continuing.

"Grounders." Her eyes flicked to Lincoln for a moment, then back to the Chancellor. "They attacked another hunting party."

"How bad was it?" Kane asked with his eyes closed. Lina saw his eyebrows knit together in frustration.

"Dillion is dead." Her voice was heavy with grief and her eyes glazed over with threatening tears. "Miller and Harper are fine. Bellamy took and arrow to the side. They think Hannah broke her ankle, and John and Tyler never made it back to camp." She hurried the words out in one breath. Before she had even finished speaking, Kane was running for the exit.

Lina's heart started to beat faster as she watched the ensuing chaos that followed Raven's news. Abby had ushered Wallace off the table and into the vacant chair beside Lincoln. Raven rushed to pull a second cot into view while Abby searched frantically through drawers and cupboards filled with medical supplied. Kane returned accompanied by several others, including a pale and sweating Bellamy.

Bellamy's hands were clamped to his side as dark red liquid flowed through his fingers and stained his shirt. His lips were pressed into a hard line as though they were holding back gasps of pain. The sight made Lina jump to her feet. She had no idea why her stomach was in a thick knot of why her breathing picked up speed. Why had he been out with a hunting crew? For a second she considered helping him to the bed, but the bottom of her feet seemed to be glued to the floor.

Behind him, a blonde woman was being carried in by two boys around Lina's age. The bone of her ankle was poking through the skin above her foot. Lina took in a sharp breath and chocked back the bile that arose in the back of her throat.

"Lincoln, take them back to my office." Kane commanded. Lina tried to fight off the Grounder's grip on her upper arm. Something in her gut told her to stay. Her mind raced back to when she had been the one laying on the medical table. Bellamy had stayed by her side, shouldn't she do the same?

"Let's go." Lincoln's voice sounded like a growl, but his hold on her arm was light. She looked from Bellamy to the Grounder. "Lina," Lincoln held her gaze "Abby will take care of him." With his other hand on her back, he pushed her out of the medical room. Wallace followed close behind them without a sound.

Once they were standing in front of Kane's office, Lincoln threw the door open. He let Lina and Wallace enter and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Keep this door locked." He looked at Lina. "Someone will stand guard by the door, but don't open it for anyone other than Kane or myself."

She plopped herself down in a chair and let out a long ragged breath. Her mind and body were exhausted from trying to figure out her emotions. Things had always been so black and white inside the safety of Mount Weather. Everyone knew everyone and for the most part, everyone was friendly. The biggest confrontation she had ever faced was when a boy in her sixth year class had been mean to her friend Laruen. Their yells had turned into a physical altercation and before the teacher could break them apart Lina had already given the kid a black eye and a deep cut above it.

But this was not Mount Weather. Things in Camp Jaha were not so black and white. She was supposed to hate the Sky People. She wasn't supposed to care that Bellamy was bleeding on a table in the medical center. She wasn't supposed to still feel the heat on her hip from where his hand touched her when they slept.

But she did.

Lina felt the tear run down her flushed cheek and she dropped her head into her hands to that Wallace wouldn't see. What the hell was she doing?

What the hell was she feeling?


	14. Chapter 14

**I know that my updates have been a bit slower than normal and I'm sorry! This chapter is longer than most of the others so hopefully that makes up for it!**

Wallace had fallen asleep while he and Lina waited for someone to come and let them out of the office. Lina couldn't sleep. She couldn't even close her eyes. Her body still sat in the same position from when Lincoln had left. It was like torture sitting in that room not knowing what was going on with the others back in medical. She turned her head to look at her President. His face, which was usually wrinkled with age and stress, was smooth and worry free while he slept.

She couldn't take it any longer. It had been two hours since she'd been told to stay put like she was a toddler in time out. Lina launched herself to her feet, unsure of what her next move would be. She could wake Wallace and make a run for it. Everyone else was distracted by the Grounders' attack and she doubted they would notice them slipping away. There were two thoughts stopping her from shaking the old man awake. First; if they left, where would they go? They had no home, no food, no shelter of their own.

Second was Bellamy. She didn't want to leave not knowing if he was alive or dead. Raven said he'd been hit with an arrow. What if it struck an organ? What if he bled out before Abby could save him? Lina felt as though the room was spinning. She shook her head to clear it, but that did nothing to bring her world back to normal. With one last glance at Wallace, she closed the distance between her chair and the door. Knowing that there was a guard posted outside the door, she eased it open just enough for her to peer through.

She could see the back of the guard's head. He was the same man who had refused to let her in when Lincoln had first told her that Wallace had been brought to Camp Jaha. She remembered Bellamy referring to him as Miller.

"Excuse me, Mr. Miller?" she said, coating her voice with youth and innocence. His head snapped around in surprise.

"That door needs to stay shut and locked." He reminded her with an authoritative tone.

"I know, but Mr. Wallace is pretty weak from all of Abby's tests." She lied and gave him an impish smile. "Would you be able to grab him a glass of water?" Miller took a few seconds to determine if she was being truthful and she did her best to look sincere in her concern for the older man inside. The guard peeked through the cracked door and she sent up a silent prayer that he couldn't get a good look at Wallace from his angle. Finally, Miller nodded.

"Keep this shut until I get back." he lightly tapped on the door. She mouthed him a thank you before he turned on his heels and strode away. Lina made a show of closing the door and turning the lock forcefully enough to be sure that Miller could hear the click from down the hall. She waited ten full seconds before wrenching the door open and bolting in the opposite direction of the guard.

Her feet hit softly on the metal floor making only faint sounds that blended in with the others who roamed the dropship. She slipped through the corridors seamlessly, going completely unnoticed by the few people she passed. Once she reached the large glass doors, she came to a stop. What was she going to do? Barge in and demand to know what's going on with Bellamy? Insist that Abby tell her how he's doing?

Instead, she stood outside the doors and let her eyes wonder over the mill of people inside until they found what they were looking for. An invisible weight lifted from her shoulders when she saw that Bellamy was standing beside the table that the girl with the broken ankle was laying on. If he could stand then surely he was going to be okay. His shirt was missing and a white bandage was wrapped around his torso. His skin was smooth and pulled tight over the muscles of his back. Seeing him caused an odd warmth to bubble in her lower stomach. She broke her stare when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Lina?" Octavia was smiling as she reached out to pull Lina into a hug. "I'm so glad that you're okay!" she pulled back and Lina could see the relief in her eyes. "Lincoln told me that you got sick and that Abby saved your life."

"Kane saved my life." Lina replied curtly. "How's Bellamy?" she added quickly, hoping to hide her frustration with the doctor. Octavia's lips curved into a small smile.

"He'll be fine. But Abby ordered him to bed rest for a week and he's not happy about it." she let out a small laugh. "He's such a brute sometimes."

"I'm glad he's okay." Lina said with perhaps too much sincerity, earning a perplexed look from Octavia.

"You going in?" she asked, gesturing to the door.

"Oh, no I just wanted to…" She was cut off by a deep voice that boomed from down the hall.

"Hey!" Miller called out. "I told you not to leave!" The speed in which he was walking towards her made Lina uneasy and she took a step back. Her body tensed as she prepared herself to flee, but Octavia stepped between them.

"Sorry Mr. Miller." She put her hands up in surrender. "I brought her here. Bellamy wanted to see her." Lina glanced up at Octavia's face in shock before realizing that it was a lie.

"I have orders." He snarled as he reached passed Octavia and coiled his long fingers around Lina's wrist. His grip was so tight and the skin of her wrists was still so sore from being tied up by Robert that she couldn't suppress the whimper of pain.

"Cut it out, Miller!" Octavia pushed at the man's chest but it had no effect on his hold.

"Let go of me." Lina pleaded trying to tug her way free. Her first thought was to assure him that she would go willingly back to Kane's office. She would be a good girl and do as she was told.

The same rage that had boiled her blood only a few hours ago made a reappearance. Why should she go with him at all? Why did she have to be locked away in an office if she wasn't a prisoner? They would tell her it was for her own good, but who the fuck were they to know what was good for her!

"Let go of me." she hissed. She was slightly surprised by the viciousness of her voice. Miller was taken aback as well because his hold on her faltered just enough for her tear her hand back.

Lina was only mildly aware of the numerous sets of eyes that were on her and Miller. The door to the medical center had slid open to her side and through her peripherals she could see three new forms looming in the threshold.

"I am not your prisoner." She spat the words like venom that would cripple anyone who challenged her. Her heart began to pound wildly in her chest, like a caged animal trying to escape its confines. How dare Miller try to keep her caged? How dare Kane tell her she is not their prisoner and then turn around and treat her as such. As if on que, Kane's voice flowed into the hallway from her right.

"Miller." His tone was filled with warning and he took a few steps forward to place himself between the guard and Lina. She shifted so that she could see around Kane's back and get a good look at Miller's reaction. His face was tight with fury. Apparently, he wasn't used to being talked back to by nineteen year old girls.

"Chancellor." Miller spit through clenched teeth.

"Thank you for keeping Marcelina safe." Kane made a slow nod towards the guard. Lina wanted desperately to get away from the situation and made a small attempt to scurry by Kane and take off down the hallway. But before she was able to take a full step, Kane's arm came out and blocked her path. His eyes stayed locked with Miller's for a few more intense moments before the guard grudgingly turned away. Only when Miller was out of sight did Kane turn his full attention to Lina.

"You told me I wasn't your prisoner." She burst out angrily before the man could speak. He opened his mouth but Lina continued. "I'm leaving." Her voice held a note of finality.

"You can't leave." Octavia said in a small voice. Lina was touched by the concern and worry she heard in the girl's words, but it was not enough to deter her from the decision she had made. Lina had to leave. A part of her felt that staying in Camp Jaha made her a traitor to her people and to her family. She knew that she couldn't survive long out there on her own, but the truth was that she couldn't survive inside the camp either. She'd die of radiation poisoning if Robert and his posy didn't kill her first.

"You have nowhere to go, Marcelina." Kane said softly.

It was as though all the emotions she had been pushing aside since her arrival at the camp had been unleashed. The fear, the grief, the sorrow, the anger, the hostility, the confusion, all crashed down on her like a tsunami. She was drowning.

"Because of you!" she screamed, blood rushing to her cheeks. She looked around her for the first time and noticed that Bellamy and Lincoln were standing in the doorway of the medical center. "It's because of you that I have no home! No family!"

Her shallow breaths caused her body to rock back and forth. She couldn't contain the tears that streaked her cheeks or the small guttural sound that came past her lips as she shoved her way past the chancellor and towards the exit. Wallace was still locked away in the office and she knew that there was no way of getting to him without coming face to face with Miller again. A part of her hurt at the thought of leaving the old man behind, but a larger more primal part of her wanted to be alone and free of the Sky People once and for all.

The outside was alive with the buzz of conversation and laughter as the citizens of Camp Jaha carried on with their new lives on the ground. She moved so quickly that only a few people even noticed her as she raced across the field. Luckily, a boy about her age was manning the gate; if it had been anyone else she might not have been able to intimidate them with a stern glare. He opened the gate and she didn't have to say a single word to get him to do so.

She continued to run until she was deep into the forest, safe under the thick cover of the trees. Only then did she slow to a walk. The oaks towered above her, their leave-less branches swaying in the chilly wind. She wished she had thought to grab another jacket before leaving the camp, but where would she have gotten one anyway? Lina admired the beauty of the Earth that she had been denied her whole life. Each root and rock took her breath away as she soaked it all in. The sun beat down in between the trees, highlighting new sights for her to focus on.

The novelty of the ground kept her mind off of what she left behind. She was aware of the fact that these would be her last days of life, and that a slow and agonizing death awaited her. She knew that she would most likely never see a human being again before she met her end. She would never see Bellamy again. But she couldn't bring herself to be upset by those facts. She had dreamed about the ground for so long, and here she was, literally walking in her dreamscape. Granted, her dreams had never included the genocide of her people, but this was the GROUND.

In her studies, she had seen old photographs of her ancestors on the ground, but those faded pictures didn't do it justice. The colors were bright and dazzling, the scents intoxicating, and the sounds, the complete and utter silence was sweeter than any music she had ever heard. She'd lived with the constant hum of fans and carbon dioxide scrubbers inside Mount Weather. It was a noise that one became accustomed to and after a while didn't even notice its existence. Even in Camp Jaha, there had been the ongoing buzz of life. But out here, the world was still. No fans, no people, no death. Life blossomed all around her, from small saplings growing towards the blue sky, to the small insects that scurried silently along the forest floor. Her appreciation for Earth became so great and overwhelming that fresh tears glazed over her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her sleeve and continued to trudge forward.

The sun had just begun to set behind the far off mountains, casting a soft shade over the already dim forest. Her eyes narrowed as they adjusted to the new lighting. A crackling noise made her head perk up in fear. She peered frantically around searching for the source of the noise.

Four people stepped into a clearing only a few yards away. Even from her distance she could tell that all four were large and well-muscled men. Instead of the automatic weapons carried by the Sky People and Mount Weather guards, these men carried handmade long bows, with arrows tucked into quivers on their backs. Their clothing appeared to be made from animal coats, soft enough to pet. She found the paint and tattoos on their faces to be oddly striking and she reached a hand to her own face, wondering what it would feel like to have ink so intricately embedded into her skin.

She watched in amazement as they moved as one into the middle of the opening. They unceremoniously dropped their weapons and pouches to the ground. Each seemed to have a specific job to do and they broke off in separate directions to accomplish them. She realized that they were making camp.

Everything she had been taught about the grounders came to the forefront of her thoughts. They had been described as simple, uncivilized savages. But as she secretly surveyed them from her spot in the woods, she couldn't disagree more. These people were beautiful, and they seemed to know a hell of a lot more about survival than she did. They communicated with no more than looks and hand movements, like they were preforming a dance.

Lina wondered what would happen if she were to approach them. Would they slaughter her right then and there like the savages they were supposed to be? And if they did, what was the difference when she was going to die in a matter of days anyway? She was so completely taken with the grounders that she found herself inching closer. Perhaps they would welcome her. _The enemy of my enemy is my friend_. The old saying rushed to her head. Although she wouldn't consider herself an enemy of the Sky People, she certainly wasn't their friend. She was, after all, born on the ground.

Maybe that was enough to make her a Grounder.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello lovelies! Again, sorry to keep you waiting longer than usual. A huge thanks to everyone who had followed so far! I have another 100 fic in progress called The Fight for Peace, go check it out! Because I suck at doing one thing at a time, I'm already trying to get new ideas for my next story. I was thinking of trying something with The Vampire Diaries (my guilty pleasure) or maybe Game of Thrones. Let me know what you think. PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **CHAPTER 15**

Her feet crept forward, bringing her closer to the Grounders in the clearing. Every cell in her body vibrated with an excitement that she couldn't explain. What was it about these four men that she found so intoxicating? Was it the possibility of control? The promise that she could govern her own actions for the rest of what little time she had left? No one was there to tell her no, or to lock her up and say it was for her own good. She relished in the feeling of freedom.

Deep down she knew it was a mistake to reveal herself to the grounders, but for once, it was her choice to make. Knowing that death was inevitable gave her a new sense of adventure, an unexplainable need to take risks.

Her foot was in midair, about to take another step when a large rough hand clamped down over her mouth. She felt an arm snake its way around her middle and pull her back against something hard. Lina's cries for help were muted by the hand. Her attacker dragged her further away from the clearing, away from the grounders that she wanted so desperately to reach. The four men's head's all turned at the sound of the cracking of twigs and falling leaves under their feet.

"Be quiet." A familiar voice breathed into her ear, his breath tickling the hairs on her neck. Bellamy pressed his own back against a large nearby tree, keeping her forced against his chest. Her eyes widened at the realization that her attacker was the same man who she had shared a bed with, in the most innocent of ways, not twenty four hours ago. He craned his neck around the tree, keeping his grip on Lina tight.

"You're hurting me." she tried to say, but her words sounded like mush against his hand. His arm was still wrapped around her stomach pulling her close and the pressure made it hard for her to breathe.

"Shhh." He hissed. "I don't think they saw us. Probably think it was an animal." He waited another few seconds before uncovering her mouth. His arm loosened around her middle, but he didn't take it away. "Don't be stupid Lina, those people are not your friends." Bellamy kept his voice low so the grounders wouldn't hear.

"Let go." She whispered, trying to shrug out of his arm only to have him tighten it again.

"So you can get yourself killed? I don't think so."

"I'm dying anyway." She argued. Lina was apparently too loud for his liking because he threw his hand back over her mouth.

"You'll get us both killed if you don't keep your voice down." He murmured. "The Mountain Men have been kidnapping and killing Grounders for a hundred years. You really think they'll welcome you with open arms? They'll want payback for everyone they've ever lost, and you're literally the only one left who can give them the satisfaction of revenge."

His words triggered something inside of her. She had been so distracted by the euphoria of experiencing the world and all its wonders that she had forgotten the nightmares that her own people had caused. She turned her head as best she could to look at Bellamy. This was the third time he'd saved her life. Lina gave him a nod of understanding and he took his hand from her mouth again. His dark eyes looked back towards the clearing.

"We should wait here for a while longer." He whispered. "Let them get settled and then head back quietly." Lina shook her head violently.

"I'm not going back Bellamy."

BELLAMY'S POV

He kept his arm around her waist, his fingers curling around her side. He was afraid to let her go, afraid that she would take off into the clearing. Back in the drop ship when she had shoved her way past Kane and towards the gate, Bellamy knew he would have to follow her. She was sure to get herself killed out here, especially since she'd never experienced the world. And sure enough, she'd almost walked up to four very large, very armed grounders.

"I'm not going back Bellamy." She said, her voice barely audible. He didn't respond, not wanting to make any more noise than necessary. If they waited for the grounders to make their fire and settle in for the night, their guard would drop just enough for Bellamy and Lina to make a quick getaway without being noticed.

As the minutes ticked by, Bellamy felt the warmth growing in his stomach. Lina hadn't tried to move away from him and her back was still pressed tight against his chest. Her small body trembled when the wind picked up.

"I think we can go now." She said through chattering teeth. He knew she was right, it had been almost twenty minutes that they stood in silence behind the large oak tree. He nodded and pulled his arms away from her. Worry instantly filled Bellamy's veins. He couldn't explain it, not even to himself, but before Lina could step out of his reach he latched his hand around her wrist. He needed to touch her. He needed to feel her skin against his. He had the sickening fear that if he let her go, even for a second, she would be lost forever.

Lina was his only way of coping with the terribly things he'd done at Mount Weather. He knew that saving her wouldn't absolve his sins, but it gave him a sense of purpose, and purpose was the only thing keeping him from running a dagger through his own heart. Before Lina, he had focused his attention on Octavia. Protecting his baby sister had been the only thing in his life that had made sense. But now that little girl who used to cry under the floorboards could kick some serious ass. He was proud of his sister. Proud of who she became, of how she's grown into such a strong woman. But he needed someone to protect because that was one of the only things he had ever been good at; protecting.

"I told you," Lina's voice snapped him back to their present situation. "I don't want to go back."

"Two days." He bent his head down so he could capture her dark eyes in his. "Two days is all I ask. Forty eight hours to let Abby work on finding a cure." His hand, which was still griping her wrist, slid down to her hand. He felt her stiffen at the intimate contact, but he persisted on keeping their hands interlocked. "If she can't then you have my word I will let you leave."

He knew it wouldn't take that long for Abby to figure something out. The doctor had already been running tests on the old man's blood. Wallace had been alive for almost four whole days without presenting any signs of radiation poisoning. Abby believed that he had been given the bone marrow cure that Cage and his followers had concocted. If she could separate the cure from his blood, she would have the recipe to save Lina's life.

Lina's eyes flicked from their hands back up to his face, an unreadable expression crossing her face as she weighed her options. Twice, Bellamy saw her lips part as though she was about to speak, but the snapped shut before any sound escaped. Finally, after an agonizing sixty seconds, she responded.

"I know that if I refuse, you'll follow me anyway." There was hostility in her voice, which made his heart flutter in hope. "And if you swear that after the two days I can leave without a babysitter," she stared intently for a few moments. "then I will stay."

Bellamy felt his lips curl into a smirk, but he turned to keep Lina from seeing the victory as it danced across his features. She slid her hand out of his and continued to trump through the woods. The sun had set some time ago leaving the Earth blanketed in a darkness so complete that it was hard to see more than a foot in front of them. Bellamy had gotten quite good at navigating through the bumpy terrain of the forest surrounding the camp, but it had been a while since he'd done so at night.

The cold started to nip at his skin, leaving goosebumps on his arms. If he was cold, then Lina must have been freezing. Her body wasn't used to changing weather. In the mountain they had control over the temperature, and Bellamy doubted she had ever experienced anything less than fifty degrees before she entered Camp Jaha. But to his surprise, she didn't voice a single complaint as they made their way back home.

In fact, she didn't speak at all.

It wasn't until they reached the open field in front of the gates that he heard her make a sound. It was a soft gasp that left her lips as she stood on the edge of the forest. Her head was tilted towards the sky, mouth agape. Bellamy followed her gaze until he too, was staring at the star lit sky. It occurred to him that this was the first time she was seeing the stars, the last few nights had been too cloudy for a good look. Not so long ago he'd been drifting among them, but looking up now, it seemed to have been a lifetime since he came to the Ground with the 100.

His eyes dropped to Lina again, not wanting to see billion twinkling reminders of his past. The corners of her mouth had pulled into smile, a true smile, and for a moment, Lina shone just as bright as the stars above.


	16. Chapter 16

**Apparently the last time this chapter was posted something went crazy in computer world and half of the story was written in code! Thanks so much to** **DevilInWhite** **for pointing it out to me! Hopefully it's crystal clear now! Thanks for the overwhelming flood of follows/favorites! Never thought this story would take off so well, especially since its one of my very first fics!**

CHAPTER16

"Lina." Bellamy's deep voice pulled her from the world above. Her eyes left the sky and traveled down to his face. He had lived up there, among the stars. She shifted her gaze to the frozen ground. She had lived down there, under the dirt. They'd both been forced from the only homes they've ever known and settled somewhere in the middle.

There were only a few lights shimmering inside the fence. She watched over Bellamy's shoulder as a stillness overcame Camp Jaha. The one thing she's learned about the ground is that life starts early. The people wake and sleep with the sun, using as much of the daylight to accomplish the tasks that can't be done under the veil of night. With that knowledge, she assumed most of the camp was already asleep.

"Come on." Bellamy nodded his head in the direction of the camp. She followed his lead as they strode up to the gate. The guard on the inside gave a small gesture of recognition to Bellamy and opened the gate just enough for the two of them to slip through. Once on the inside, Lina took the lead. Her feet guided her along the familiar path that ended at his tent. She didn't wait for him to catch up, she just ducked in and plopped herself down on her bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin.

She was aware of Bellamy as he entered the tent. The corners of his mouth had been pulled upwards into the shadow of a smile ever since she'd agreed to come back. Its presence had a strange effect on Lina. On one hand, that arrogant little grin really pissed her off. It was like he had won some game and was now gloating about his triumph. But on the other hand, the idea that she was responsible for putting that smile on his face made her chest tighten just the slightest.

But she would never let that show.

"I'll wipe that smirk right off your face if you don't stop." She mustered up some anger to make the words appear more toxic than they really were. But she was unsuccessful. In fact, his grin only widened.

"I'm just glad we're not dead." He huffed out a light laugh along with his words.

"Not dead yet." She corrected, but it didn't deflate his smile. It was like he knew something she didn't. His confidence in Abby was astonishing, and extremely annoying.

"You gonna be warm enough?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Lina scoffed and spoke her next words without hesitation.

"Is that your way of inviting yourself back into my bed?" She instantly regretted the words when hurt flooded his features. "I didn't mean it like that." She tried to save herself. "I know you did it to…"

"It's fine." He cut her off and leaned forwards a bit so that his massive frame now towered over her bed. "When you decide that you'd like to wake up with full feeling in your finger and toes, you know where to find me."

His smile returned, but it didn't quite reach his dark eyes. She thought about the night before and how unbearably cold it had been. Honestly, she would have welcomed his warm body, but it was too late for that now. Instead, she settled on watching him slide into his own cot. He turned on his side, his back facing Lina and her eyes followed the rise and fall of his breaths, quick at first, but becoming slower as the minutes ticked by.

With a sigh, she resigned to allow her body to fall into the sleep that lapped at her heels. Only, the sleep didn't come. Her lids were heavy and she let them drop close, but the continuous shivers that ran up and down her spine kept her awake for hours into the night.

Lina snuggled deeper into her blankets, thrusting her hands between her thighs for warmth. She eyed Bellamy angrily. _How can he possibly sleep in this weather?_ As if on cue, his shoulders shuddered violently, but Lina had the feeling it wasn't from the cold. Her suspicions were confirmed when his foot began to kick and he thrashed his body around on the tiny cot. Propping herself up onto one elbow, she tentatively spoke.

"Bellamy." She knew her whisper wouldn't be enough, so she said it again with more force. His fit continued and he had started to mumble incoherently. Lina dug up whatever energy was left in her exhausted body and swung her feet over the edge of the bed, momentarily forgetting the cold that bit into her.

She knew it was a bad idea to try and wake him, but she hated to let him suffer in his own nightmare.

"Bellamy." She laid a soft hand on his shoulder. "Bell, you're dreaming." She gave him a slight shake which only seemed to worsen his terror. Small beads of sweat broke out over the skin of his forehead, and she could see his eyes close tighter and tighter as he struggled against whatever horror he faced inside his mind. "Wake up!"

Her final shove did the trick. Bellamy bolted upright in the bed. The sudden movement made Lina stumble back. She would have fallen over had he not curled his fingers just above the hand that had been on his shoulder. His grip was tight and painful but she bit her lip to keep from yelling out. It took him a few more seconds to realize that he was no longer trapped in his nightmare, those big dark eyes turning to Lina.

"What the hell?" his brows knitted together in confusion. He looked down had his hand, still clenched around her wrist, and let go immediately. Lina drew her hand back and rubbed at the sore skin.

"You were having a bad dream." she kept her eyes down. For some reason she felt embarrassed, like she was intruding on something private. Bellamy didn't speak and eventually threw his body backwards onto the cot. He rested his arm over his face as he tried to regain control of his rapid breathing. Lina crouched beside his bed awkwardly, not knowing what to say next.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked almost lazily. She looked down at her wrist and lied.

"No."

"I'm sorry." He breathed out heavily.

"I said you didn't hurt me." she rose to her feet, ready to tuck herself back under the protection of her blankets. But Bellamy's hand shot out and once again wrapped itself around her wrist; this time however, his touch was gentle.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, his voice weighed down by an emotion that she had trouble placing. When he released her, Lina felt instantly colder without his touch. She nodded as she stared down at him on the bed. Bellamy wiggled back towards the tent wall, leaving a small space on the mattress. "Come stay warm."

The invitation hit her like a tsunami. She felt herself being swept away by the tides of different emotions. Shock at his forwardness. Gratitude for his offer of warmth. Annoyance at his assumption that she would say yes. Anticipation of what it would feel like to lay against him, to be surrounded by him. There was one final feeling that she couldn't find the word for, but it laid in the pit of her stomach generating a heat that spread through her veins.

Lina counted her breaths.

 _One._ Her heart beat stuttered like a starting engine.

 _Two._ Her tongue became dry, her throat scratchy.

 _Three._ Her body shuddered. From the cold or from her eagerness, she wasn't sure.

With one last deep breath she turned towards her own bed, but not before seeing the disappointment flash across his face. That alone told her that she had made the right decision.

Lina grabbed the two heavy blankets that were crumpled on her cot at spun back to Bellamy. She tossed them over top of his and, before she could think of one of the million reasons why she shouldn't, she slid her body under them all.

They were lying face to face, but neither of them spoke. Lina felt the heat seep through her skin and sink deep into her bones. She closed her eyes and let her body greedily soak up all the warmth that was offered to it. Bellamy hadn't moved, and she wondered if she was thankful for his stillness or frustrated by it. She lifted her gaze to meet his. Their faces were close enough for her to feel his breath breeze over her forehead. From that distance she could practically count the freckles scattered over his nose and cheeks. She was half tempted to do just that before her focus was brought to his lips. They were thick and stretched wide and seemed to always be pulled downward at the corners in a perpetual look of dissatisfaction. Tonight had been one of the first times that she had seen the corners pulled in the other direction. She had liked it.

"Thank you." She squeaked when she realized she had been staring too long. His body visibly relaxed at her words and she felt the bed give with his sinking weight as he melted down into it.

For a while they laid like that, less than an inch apart, nothing touching except their exhaled breaths. But just as Lina was about to succumb to the waves of sleep that rolled over her, she felt him shift beside her. His hand found her side and he softly pulled her in to him. Lina didn't protest, instead she nestled her head into his chest, her nose rubbing against the soft nape of his neck.

She raised her eyes to find his closed, long lashes sweeping against the tops of his cheeks. His arm coiled its way over her side, hand coming to rest on the small of her back. She chastised herself for not pushing away. Her nostrils filled with his scent, a mix of pine trees, fire, and sweat. She listened to his breathing as it finally became steady.

Even through their mess of clothing she could feel the warmth of his body against hers. She was suddenly furious with the clothes between them, wishing she could touch his skin. Bellamy's hand twitched at her back and she was acutely aware of that ball of heat that had been growing in her stomach. She welcomed it as she finally yielded to the sleep that pressed in on her from all sides.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi guys! Please don't hate me for the absurd delay in my updating! I've been so busy that I just haven't had a second to sit down and let the words flow. Plus, I hate to admit it, I wasn't entirely sure where to take the story next. This chapter is a bit of a filler but at least it's something to read in the mean time! Since I'm currently suffering from extreme writer's block, please feel free to send over any ideas of what you guys would like to see happen next! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 17**

Every cell in Bellamy's body was awake before his eyes even opened. He could feel her body pressed tightly against his and he relished the warmth they shared between them. His chin was resting on the top of her head and her soft breaths tickled against his neck. Her hands were pressed between their stomachs in a clear attempt to keep them from freezing off.

His own hand slipped down and he laced his fingers with hers. He instantly shook his head and pulled his hand back before she could wake up. He wasn't the hand holding type, never had been, never will be. But he couldn't figure out why his hand ached for hers. It was just too intimate of a gesture, to hold someone's hand within your own.

Lina's forehead pressed deeper into his chest, sizzling against the soft fabric of his shirt. If she were to wake at that moment, would she push away? Would be she be disgusted that she let herself come so close to him? As these thoughts crossed his mind, she became more restless beside him. Her hands unknowingly sliding along his chest before they reached her face and rubbed at her sleep laden eyes.

He waited silently for her to gather her own thoughts; to become aware of her positioning. But to his surprise, she didn't jerk away when their eyes met. She looked up at him from under her lashes, a faint smile playing on her lips. It wasn't a smile of satisfactions, it was one of embarrassment.

But he would take it.

"Good morning." He said, his voice hoarse from sleep. Of all the times he'd laid in a bed with a girl, he had never once woken up next to them (they had a tendency to disappear during the night… or he would ask them to leave before falling asleep). He had no idea what to say or do. Lina didn't seem to know the right words because she stayed quiet for a long time, though neither of them moved. Bellamy wasn't sure what thoughts were racing through her mind, but he was more than reluctant to leave the warmth of the bed and face the frigid day that awaited them.

Their silence stretched on, creating an air of awkwardness around them. His mind became agonizingly attentive to all the places where their bodies touched; her head and neck resting on the inside of his bicep, their knees grazing each other's whenever they moved, her delicate hands brushing against his chest with nowhere else to go. He had brought his own arm back to his side before she'd woken up, but now he wished he'd left it draped over her middle so his hand could press against her back as it had all through the night.

"You had a nightmare." Lina's small voice broke the silence. He scrunched his face in concentration as he thought back to the dream she'd woken him from last night. Nightmares had been plaguing his sleep since before he could remember. Even on the Ark he'd woken with beads of sweat on his forehead and a racing heart. Although, on the Ark his biggest worry was someone finding out about Octavia.

That was the first nightmare to come true.

Once he was on the ground his dreams had changed settings. Instead of fearing the Guards in space, he now dreaded the monsters of Earth. The genetically mutated panthers and river snakes, Grounders wielding ancient yet savage weapons, the lethal yellow fog that crept up on you like a malicious predator stalking its prey. The more time he spent on Earth, the more vast his nightmares became.

The terror he'd experienced the night before had become a frequent flyer in Bellamy's mind. It was always the same. He would watch himself from above as he placed his hand over Clarke's. He'd try to scream at himself to stop, plead with Clarke to listen and see reason. But every time he opened his mouth, the sound was forced back down his throat and he had no choice but to watch the people of Mount Weather slump to the floor on the monitors in the control room. One by one they would fall, some crying for help, others clinging to the nearest person. A few tried to run for the doors, as though they could escape the ominous air that surrounded them.

The difference in his latest dreams was that in the corner of the screen, Bellamy could see one figure still sitting upright next to the long dining table. Black waves cascading over slender shoulders as the figure looked down at something in her lap. As he floated closer to the monitor, the figure turned, black eyes finding his. Tears spilled over her cheeks and fell to the floor. His heart stopped when the recognition hit. Although he couldn't hear her voice, he watched her mouth form one single word; Why. She looked back down at her hands and Bellamy realized that the head of a young girl was cradled in her lap.

That's when he had woken up. Just as he had seen the true innocence in the face of the dead girl, the girl who Lina wept over.

"My father used to have nightmares." Lina continued, pulling Bellamy from the dark depths of his memories. He gave her his full attention. It was the first time he'd heard her speak of her family since she'd told Abby about her little sister. "He used to tell me that if you faced your fears while you were awake, they wouldn't bother you while you slept. Then, after my mom died, I used to tell the same thing to Hannah."

He stared down at her, but her face was momentarily replaced by another's.

Charlotte.

Another one of his victims. Another name on the growing list of those who died because of his actions.

"Slay your demons." He whispered, his voice suddenly heavy with an all-consuming sadness. The last time he had spoken that phrase, it had thrown their camp into a whirlwind of chaos.

"Something like that." She nodded.

Another long silence fell over them. Lina began to untangle herself from the blankets and Bellamy felt a sudden surge of panic as she pulled her body away from his. He clenched his fists to stop from reaching out and dragging her back into him.

"I guess I should go see Abby." She said as she slung her long legs over the side of the bed. She sat there for a moment with her back to him, taking in long deep breaths. Bellamy watched her shoulders rise and fall with each intake of air. Eventually his eyes travelled down to the spots of her back that would be forever scarred because of the Sky People; because of Robert. His heart broke at the thought of how much pain she had suffered because of them, emotional and physical.

"You kept apologizing to me last night." It was though she had read his mind, and for half a second he wondered if he had been thinking aloud.

"I did." He said, remembering all too clearly how close he had come to telling Lina the truth about the person, or people, who were responsible for the deaths of the entire Mount Weather population. "You've been through so much."

Slowly, he let his fingers graze over the material of her shirt to signify the wounds that lay beneath. Her body stiffened before a small tremor ran down her spine. Bellamy almost pulled away, but when her body finally relaxed, he let his hand continue to rest against her back.

"You didn't do that, Bellamy." She looked over her shoulder at him for a brief moment. "Robert did."

He propped himself up on his elbow and leaned closer to her. His hand slid to her arm. He gave a light squeeze that prompted her to look at him once more.

"Robert is an ass. But I should have never let you out of my sight."

"Well, it's over now." She breathed after a substantial pause. She thrust herself upright off the bed and out of his reach, and before he could think of a way to stop her, she threw a heavy coat over her shoulders and strode out of the tent. With a soft curse under his breath, Bellamy hopped to his feet and followed her out, terrified to let her go through camp alone.

The sun had just begun to rise behind the mountain line. The pink and orange hues collided with the earth, creating a warm glow that lingered over Camp Jaha. They must have only gotten five or so hours of sleep, but he was certain that it was the best sleep he'd gotten in a long time.

"You think Abby's awake yet?" she called over her shoulder as she continued walking. He let a small laugh bubbled to the surface.

"The real question is does Abby Griffin sleep?"

Another ghost of a smile crossed Lina's lips and Bellamy felt his heart pound faster at the sight.

He wasn't the least bit surprised to find both Abby and Kane hovering over the doctor's desk in Sick Bay when they arrived. The Chancellor gave Bellamy a meaningful nod when he saw Lina trail in behind him. Kane's approval and recognition made Bellamy's chest fill pride. It took Abby a few extra seconds to realize that the Mountain Girl had returned. Dark circles clung to the skin bellow her round eyes. Does Abby Griffin sleep? When he had said the words before, he'd been joking. But now he found himself wondering when the last time the woman actually laid down was. Judging by her slow reaction to seeing Lina and the sallowness of her normally olive skin, he bet it had been a while.

"Come here." The doctor demanded of Lina when she finally snapped to life. Lina obeyed and Bellamy hated to think of what would have happened if she didn't. Only a fool argued with Abby. "Leave us." She hissed at Kane and Bellamy. The last thing he wanted was to leave, but Kane put a heavy hand on his shoulder and all but shoved him out of the room, following directly behind him.

Only a fool argued with Abby, he thought again as he watched the Chancellor close the doors behind them. When he turned, Bellamy could see that Kane was sporting some dark circles of his own.

"She's been up all night working." He said, nodding back towards the room behind the now closed doors. "Wallace has been extremely helpful and she thinks she's close." Bellamy's mind wandered off to something that Octavia had mentioned to him a few weeks ago, before the mountain. She'd pointed out how much time the Chancellor and the doctor have been spending together, the small longing looks they sometimes shared when they thought no one else was watching. Once Bellamy had even caught Kane with his hand locked with Abby's. There was no doubt in his mind that Kane had spent the entire night sitting next to Abby as she worked on a cure for Lina.

"Good news." He smiled as he spoke. "Go get some sleep sir. You look like shit."

Kane laughed, but the sound was cut off quickly by a long and powerful yawn. He clapped Bellamy on the back and took off down the long hallway towards his office. With one final look at the door behind him, Bellamy steeled himself for the long day of work ahead of him. Lina was safe with Abby, and the camp was slowly running out of food. Their hunting strategies were useless in the winter months. He needed to talk to Lincoln and figure out more ways to bring in fresh game, otherwise no one would last until Spring.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello again! Thanks for all the kind reviews! I'm thrilled that people seem to be enjoying the story! What did you guys all think of the last episode? Was I the only one who cried myself to sleep that night? hahaha!**

 **So I've been thinking of what kind of story I'd like to write next and I think I finally landed on a winner. For any Harry Potter fans out there, my next fic will be a story that follows the Maurarders (James, Sirius, Peter & Lupin) through their years in Hogwarts. What do you all think? Please, if anyone has other ideas or requests let me know! I'm open to anything. **

**And for those of you following The Fight For Peace, I did not give up on the story. I'm in the middle of some serious writer's block when it comes to the plot. Just be patient and give me some time to figure my shit out haha!**

 **Also, this chapter wasn't edited so sorry for any mistakes.**

Chapter 18

It took Bellamy over an hour to find Lincoln among the mass of people who had gathered around the spectacle at the gate. He was tall enough to see over the heads of most, but it wasn't enough to see what was going on in the center of the circle that had been formed. At the back edge of the circle stood a magnificent brown and white horse, its head adorned with typical Grounder garb. Bellamy's body went stiff and alert. Why would a Grounder horse be in Camp Jaha? And why did nobody seem too concerned about its presence?

He was about to ask these questions aloud to anyone who would listen but Lincoln emerged from the center of the group. Bellamy watched him approach the horse, slowly and with great caution. The man stretched out a long arm leaving his hand inches away from the beast's massive head. An unexplainable surge of jealousy sparked in Bellamy's heart when the horse moved its snout so it was touching the palm of Lincoln's hand. He had only ever seen horses when they were being used as tools of war and battle by the Grounders. He couldn't help but wonder what their sleek hair would feel like under his own hand.

Just as he was about to start towards Lincoln and the horse when someone called his name. He whirled around to face Miller, who was casually jogging towards him.

"Bell! Did you see them?" he huffed out in one short breath, a huge smile lighting up his face.

"I see the horse." He looked back over his shoulder at the powerful animal. "But what the hell is going on? Are there Grounders in the camp?" His confusion had only grown in the past minutes. None of his questions had been answered, and only more had sprung up.

"They sent us gifts!" Miller's eyes widened with excitement. "Lexa sent us a peace offering!"

The statement took a few extra seconds to register in Bellamy's mind. Lexa all but declared war when she left them standing alone at the doors of Mount Weather. She abandoned and betrayed them when they needed her most. Why would anyone think to accept her offer of peace? Was it even a real offer?

Bellamy's eyes scanned the rest of the camp. Practically the entire population was crowded around the front gate, leaving only a few stragglers to roam the camp looking as confused as he felt. The guards on the wall hadn't left their posts, but their attention was directed towards the scene inside the walls, not on the woods. Panic coursed through his veins.

Was it a trap?

Get all of the Sky People in one area and then blow them sky high? Create a distraction so warriors can slip into the camp unnoticed?

"Drake! Don't let your guard down!" he cupped his hands around his mouth so that his voice would carry to the top of the wall. Drake was a young guard and one of the original 100 to come to the Ground. He gave a short nod before speaking into his walkie, no doubt to inform the rest of the Guard of the orders.

Bellamy wasn't a leader in Camp Jaha, but he had been before the rest of the Ark fell to Earth. Although the Council didn't recognize him as a military leader, most of the first 100 still did. Pride filled his heart when he watched the rest of the Guard turn their eyes back towards the woods, guns raised to their cheeks to peer through the scopes.

"Just come look." Miller waved for Bellamy to follow him through the crowd. He pushed his way until he was at the front of the circle. A few guards were kneeling in the center, digging through large baskets filled with...

"Is that meat?" Bellamy threw himself forward. The baskets were overflowing with different meats, all wrapped in brown paper. There were at least twelve baskets, all filled to the brim. It would be enough to feed them for another month, more if they rationed correctly.

"Who brought these in?" He asked one of the guards who was now elbow deep in raw bleeding meat.

"A horse came to the gate, no rider." He looked up at Bellamy. "The thing was pulling a huge wagon! There's still some on the other side of the gate. We couldn't bring it all in at once!"

The excitement in his voice was contagious. For a brief moment, the nagging panic and suspicions left Bellamy and he felt nothing but relief.

They could survive this winter yet.

He looked around at the people who were still circled around them. They were all smiling, some even crying with happiness. In the corner he saw a group of young girls cooing over another box. A small furry head popped up and playfully nipped at their fingers, earning small shrieks of joy from the girls. One kid reached in a picked up one of the fuzzy little forms.

"Are those wolves?" Bellamy asked, trying and failing to keep the smile off his lips.

"Yeah. They sent a bunch of blankets and hides too."

Bellamy walked towards the girls and the pups. Sure enough, the wooden crate contained six more tiny bouncing balls of grey and white fur. He stuck an arm in and pulled out the smallest pup by the scruff of the neck. If these gifts really were a peace offering, what the hell was the point of sending seven puppies to Camp Jaha. In his mind, they were only more mouths to feed since they were too small to be of any actual use.

"They'll grow into hunters." Lincoln must have sensed Bellamy's apprehension towards the pups when he walked up from behind. "We're meant to train them into protectors and providers for our camp." He explained while Bellamy cradled the runt in his massive arms. "Trikru has been raising wolves since before anyone can remember."

"How are we supposed to feed them? We can hardly feed ourselves." Bellamy countered. But as he looked around at the new baskets being carried through the front gate, he knew that his argument was invalid. The food the Grounders had sent was more than enough to get them through the brunt of the winter months.

"Bell!" Octavia came bounding through the crowd, Lina only a few steps behind her. While his sister's face was nothing but pure excitement, Lina's eyes scanned every inch of the throng. She was no doubt wary of any impending attacks from Robert and his goons. Out of instinct, Bellamy took a step closer to the girl his senses going on high alert as they always did when she was around.

"Oh my God." Octavia shrieked and instantly stretched her hands out for the pup he was holding. Bellamy rolled his eyes and handed it to her with a reluctant grin. His not-so-little sister was one hell of a warrior, but she was still just a girl when it came to some things. Lina's eyes were trained on the pup, her mouth hanging open in… what? Disbelief? Shock? Terror? He couldn't tell.

"Do you want to hold one?" He asked, trying to gauge her reaction to the wolf as he held another up for her. Slowly, she reached out a small hand and lightly stroked the fur between the dog's ears. She ran her fingers down the length of its back, letting her thick grey coat tickle her palm. Bellamy noticed the new shine to her dark eyes and a buildup of tears that threatened to spill at any moment. She looked up at him with a look that made his heart crumble in his chest.

Wonder.

She wasn't afraid. She wasn't wary of the animals. She was awed by them. Rendered completely speechless at their presence. It occurred to Bellamy that these were the first living creatures that Lina had ever seen besides humans. He remembered the first animal he'd encountered, and after he had finished being hunted by the panther, he too had been in a state of complete wonder. Since then, he'd experienced a million walks of life. But this wolf was the first for Lina.

"She's so beautiful." She finally said, her voice thick with emotion. Bellamy noticed for the first time that Lina's hair was pulled back in an intricate braid, much like the one his sister had become accustomed to wearing. He liked the way it looked, he liked that her face was no longer hidden behind waves of soft black hair.

"Here, take her." he held the pup forward again and Lina took her into her arms. She let out a laugh that practically stopped Bellamy's heart. The sound was rich and sweet like honey. It was a sound he hadn't heard before, but one that he prayed he'd hear every day for the rest of his life. He watched as she fussed over the pup, her features aglow with fascination.

"Oh my God." Octavia said again, but this time her eyes were on her older brother, not the wolves. The smallest of smirks appeared on her lips, pulling her mouth to one side. Bellamy kneaded his eyebrows together with a silent question, but Octavia simply shook her head and chuckled under her breath.

"What?" he asked, demanding an answer. He had a nauseating feeling that his kid sister was laughing at him. But before he could hear her response, Kane's voice came booming through the crowd.

"What the hell is this?!"

The Chancellor still bore signs of sleep deprivation, but his voice was strong and stern as the people cleared a path for him that lead to the heart of the circle. Like always, Abby was just steps behind, her eyes wide with horror.

"Chancellor," the same guard that Bellamy had been speaking to stood at attention in front of Kane and began to explain the piles of wooden crates and baskets.

"Are you really stupid enough to allow these things into our camp, our home, without allowing Abby to run tests?" Kane was angrier than Bellamy ever remembered. His face was now flushed with so much color that he half expected white steam to explode from his ears. "Have we forgotten that the Grounders are not above biological warfare?"

"Well, sir…" The guard stammered, but he was cut off.

"They sent John Murphy back to the one hundred with an illness that spread like a wildfire and killed at least three kids!" Kane bellowed. "Did you pay attention in World History, McNair? Remember the Europeans and the Native Americans? The blankets that were plagued with Smallpox and exterminated an entire civilization in a matter of days? Any of this ringing a bell, or were you too distracted by the fluffy puppies Soldier?"

"Lexa wouldn't do something like that." Lincoln stepped up to face the Chancellor. "Not after everything that happened at the mountain. True, she left the Sky People alone, but she's not stupid." A small group had now gathered around to hear the Grounder defend his Commander. "She knows that without Skaikru she never would have been able to strike a deal with the Mountain Men. This is her way of saying thank you." He spread his arms wide to indicate the baskets of food and supplies.

"How am I supposed to trust her?" Kane's voice had become unnervingly quiet, as though he didn't want anyone besides Lincoln to hear. "She left us defenseless. She left our children to die inside the mountain. She left us with no other choice but to eradicate an entire population, men, women, and children." Bellamy saw Lina shudder out of the corner of his eye. Kane must not have realized she was standing so close; otherwise he would have been more careful with his words. Unless he was just too tired to give a damn.

"She did what she had to do to save her people." Lincoln crossed his arms over his chest. Kane opened his mouth to speak again, but Abby stepped up.

"The bottom line is that until we know for sure that the food isn't poisoned or the supplies loaded with diseases, no one touches anything." She raised her voice enough for everyone in the extended circle to hear. "And anyone whose already had contact will have to be quarantined."

"Don't you think that's a bit extreme?" Lincoln asked skeptically. Bellamy raised his eyebrows at the man's bravery. Not many people questioned Abby and lived to tell the tale.

"Lincoln," she began, her whole body calm. Too calm. "let me remind you that your people infected a seventeen year old boy with a disease that nearly killed him and then sent him back to his home to infect every other living creature he came in contact with. Three of our people died, the others only surviving because they're young and strong. Look around, do you think that the toddlers, schools kids, and elders could fight off an illness so severe that it causes bleeding from the eyes and ears? Do you think that an epidemic like that wouldn't cripple our already fragile society? If I'm being extreme, well then I'm doing what I have to do to save my people." She threw his own words back at him.

Lincoln didn't argue or counter her statement. Instead he settled with a curt nod and turned to leave the group. There was a brief moment of silence before Kane's voice once again carried over the still growing crowd of people.

"You heard her." he called out, "Anyone who has touched any of those baskets or their contents, move to the Small Council chambers in the ship. And don't touch anything!"


	19. Chapter 19

**Holy cow! This story officially has over 10,000 views! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has read/followed/reviewed. I can't begin to explain how much fun this story is to write. I'm absolutely shocked at it's success considering i's the first FanFic I ever wrote.**

 **This chapter isn't edited (I had 0 time to do it!) so excuse whatever mistakes you see. PLase enjoy and let me know what you think!**

 **CHAPTER 19**

 _This is how it starts._

Lina thought back to the last time she had been corralled into a room with a large group of people.

That time, they had been people she knew; people she cared about.

That time, everyone she had ever met and spoken to, had been filed through the doors of a single room.

That time, she had sat in silence, watching each and every one of them take their last breaths. One by one, they succumbed to the dark finality of death.

That time, she had lived.

Now here she was, only a few days later, and it was starting all over again. There were about thirty of them being quarantined into the metal confines of the Ark. Would she live this time? Or would she also be dragged down by whatever awful disease the Grounders had plagued the camp with?

Did it matter?

She was going to die anyway, despite Bellamy's unyielding faith in the doctor's ability to find a cure in time. So did it really matter how she left this world?

Yes. It did matter.

She wanted to go out with the people she loved. The people she laughed and cried with. The people she trusted with her life, the ones who cared for her. The people who were already gone, still entombed in the mountain they called home.

Lina glanced up to find Octavia's long thick braid swinging just a step ahead of her as they walked forward. If she were to look over her shoulder, she had no doubt that Bellamy would be inches away. And behind him, bringing up the rear, she would see Kane and Abby, who would never leave their people to die on their own.

No matter how much she disliked the doctor, she held the upmost respect for the woman. She wasn't one to cower in the corner at the first sign of danger. No, she was the type to plunge head first into the middle of it and save as many lives as possible. Even the ones that aren't hers to save.

Lina turned her head and let her dark eyes swim over the crowd behind her. As predicted, Bellamy stood tall right at her back. And sure enough, she caught sight of Kane between bobbing and weaving heads. But yet, something was missing, something that took her until they reached their destination to realize what it was.

"Where's Lincoln?" She tapped Octavia's shoulder to gain the girl's attention as she asked. Octavia's eyes fell on Kane to make sure he was out of earshot before answering.

"He went to see Lexa."

This didn't mean much to Lina, but apparently it carried a heavy weight to Bellamy, who leaned forward and grunted angrily.

"He went where?" he asked, his cheeks turning red as they filled with his boiling blood.

"Bell, he's sure she didn't do this." The younger Blake hissed in Lincoln's defense. "And neither do I."

While the two continued their heated banter on the trustworthiness of Lexa (whoever she was), Lina took the opportunity to look at the other faces in the crowd. Behind Bellamy were three young girls, no older than six. Their faces were bunched up in pure panic, tears streaming down their tiny round faces. They hung close to Bellamy, one even held onto the back of his shirt. Lina wondered if he was aware of their presence, but her question was answered when he reached back and took the small girl's hand. He turned his body just enough to hoist her up into his arms, all the while continuing his argument with his sister.

Surprise stirred inside of her at his ease with children, but it subsided quickly. Of course he was good with kids, he raised his own sister; and did a pretty damn good job of it. She let a small smile grace her lips as she watched him hold the girl, who seemed visibly more relaxed.

Lina continued her assessment of the condemned group. Many of the men wore the black guard uniforms, a few women too. She recognized a few other faces, some from medical, others from her few times at the kitchen. But there was one face that stood out above the others. A face that made her stomach drop, her heart stop, and her back to burn.

Robert.

Her feet stopped working and she nearly stumbled into Octavia. She was going to be packed tight into a room with the man that nearly killed her, and surely some of his supporters. Lina was close to shutting down, letting her mind lose control of her body. Maybe she could make a run for it. Get out of the camp before Robert had the chance to lay his dirty hands on her again.

"Hey," Octavia had turned to face her, hazel eyes filled with concern. "what's wrong?" she asked finally seeing Lina's panicked expression.

"He's not going to get close enough to hurt you." Bellamy cut in before Lina could answer Octavia. He must have seen Robert earlier in crowd and guessed that he was the reason behind her uneasiness. When she tilted her head to look at him, Bellamy's eyes were straight forward. He didn't spare as much as a reassuring glance her way. She wished he would look at her. Wished that he would put a gentle hand on her arm, just above her elbow, as he had so many times before. It was strange how the same gesture that had once restrained and frightened her was now one that she seeks for comfort.

Without further conversation, they were hustled through the door of the Small Council Chambers. The room was more spacious than she had anticipated, but quickly became cramped as the remaining "infected" filed in. By the times the doors closed, she hardly had a one foot circle of space to call her own. Bellamy carefully put the girl on the floor. He squatted down and whispered into her ear, but Lina couldn't hear the words spoken.

It seemed like hours had passed before Kane finally spoke to them.

"Jackson and the others are examining the contents of the supply boxes at this very moment." His powerful voice glided over the crowd, calming their anxiety as it passed. "We're hoping that if everything is clear, we'll be out of here by morning."

"That's nearly twenty four hours." One woman, Lina couldn't see her face, called out. A few others nodded and murmured in agreement.

"Their working as quickly as possible."

"What if the Grounders did poison us?" it was a man who spoke this time. "Are we going to be left here to die?"

"Of course not, " Abby began, but was abruptly cut off by the angry crowd.

"Why isn't Abby out there working?"

"She's in here to help monitor any symptoms that,"

"Did Lincoln know about this?"

"Yeah, why isn't the Grounder in here with us?"

A tall blond man turned to face Octavia, who had winced at the accusation made against Lincoln. He looked about ready to open his mouth, but Bellamy took a step between the two, his back to his sister. The man stood his ground for half a second before thinking better of it and turning back towards Kane.

"ENOUGH!" Kane roared when so many questions were being shouted that they all sounded like a jumbled mess. "I don't know any more than you do." He kept his voice loud, but soft enough to force the room into silence in order to hear. "What I do know is that Lincoln has done nothing but help us through our toughest times and I have unwavering faith in him. I also know that Jackson was trained by Abby herself, and he will not stop working until he can get us out of here. Right now everyone take a seat and get comfortable."

Lina was the first to follow the Chancellor's command. She slid down the wall behind her and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she did. Octavia followed suit, and eventually the others began to drop to the floor as well. She thought of how eerily similar the scene looked to the one in Mount Weather.

Bellamy did not sit. Instead he strode to where Kane and Abby still stood; discussing God knows what in hushed whispers. Lina felt herself tense as he walked away from her. It was as though there had been a blanket of protection draped over her and it was being dragged off with each of his steps.

"I wonder if they'll bring us food?" Octavia asked idly. The girl was looking down at her hands, scraping dirt from around her finger nails.

"How are you so calm?" Lina asked in a whisper. The last thing she wanted was to bring attention to herself. Octavia's lips pulled back into a delicate smile as she leaned in to whisper her reply.

"Lexa may be a stone cold bitch, but I don't believe we're in any real danger." She cocked her head and added a second later; "At least not from Trikru."

There was the name again; Lexa. From what little she'd heard of the woman, Lina assumed she was a powerful force within the Grounder world. Bellamy had once told her that she was only person on who the Grounders could get revenge for the deaths of so many of their people. Maybe the Sky People had no reason to fear the Grounders, but she sure as hell did.

"Do you think they'll try to kill me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Who? Robert?" Octavia's head snapped in the man's direction. He sat on the opposing wall, eyes staring hungrily in their direction. "No. He wouldn't dare try anything as long as Bellamy and Kane are…"

"The Grounders." Lina clarified, redirecting the conversation away from Robert. She already had enough to worry about without adding the bastard to the list. "Bellamy said they would want revenge for what my people have done to theirs. Do you think they'll come for me?"

Not like it mattered if they did or not. In a few days Lina would be dead regardless. What did matter to her was whether or not that death was peaceful or torturous.

"Blood must have blood." Octavia recited the words as though she were reading from a book. "But blood has had blood. The Mountain Men are dead, it's over."

"I'm not dead."

"No, you're a survivor." Octavia put a hand over Lina's and gave a slight reassuring squeeze. "Lexa would be stupid to risk starting another war for one innocent life. And you _are_ innocent, Lina. Most of you were. Your leaders are the ones to blame for what happened, not Lexa, not Clarke, not Bellamy."

Lina was nodding absently. She knew that Octavia was right in some ways. Wallace, Cage that is, was a cruel man. He had been the one to tip the first domino, creating a waterfall of events to cascade down the hills of war. If he hadn't hurt the 100, if he hadn't created the reapers, this war would have been avoided. The Grounders would have been pissed and hated those who resided in the mountain, but they never would have been able to them on alone. So yes, in a sense it was Cage who was to blame. Not Lexa. Not Clarke, whoever the hell that is. And not…

"Why would anyone blame Bellamy?" Lina's eyes narrowed on the girl in front of her. What had she meant by blaming Bellamy? How could he possibly hold any responsibility? Octavia's green eyes widened slightly, not enough for anyone to notice unless they were watching for the movement.

"I just meant that he… He's hard on himself." She stammered for only a second before her voice was back to its usual strength and confidence. "He was in the mountain when it happened. He had infiltrated in order to get our people out."

At that exact moment, the three small girls who had followed the oldest Blake into the room came to stand in front of the Lina and Octavia. Their impish little smiles tugged at a sensitive string on Lina's heart. Hannah had perfected that smile at only four years old.

"Can you braid our hair like yours?" The tallest of the three asked Octavia shyly. Octavia sat up straighter and patted the ground in front of her. The girl sat on the spot, back facing her new stylist. Octavia combed her long fingers through the young girl's golden locks, untangling weeks' worth of knots as she went.

Their conversation had been paused, but Lina wasn't ready to let the subject drop. She would get her answers, and according to Kane, she had about twenty four hours to do so.


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry for the delay... again. But on a good note, I finally got my computer fixed so my updates should be more regular from now on! Not a whole lot is going on in this chapter but I felt like it was necessary for the relationship between Lina and Bell.**

Chapter 20

After an hour or so, Octavia's hair braiding had turned into game playing. The girl's had found a few pieces of scrap paper and began scratching tic-tac-toe boards across the surfaces. It was during their fourteenth game that Bellamy finally made his way back to them. The girl's, all three of whom now sported fierce braids like Octavia and Lina, jumped to their feet at his presence. They instantly began to show off their new hair and winning game boards. Bellamy smiled and cheered their wins like a big brother would do. Perhaps that's why the girls were so drawn to him, because he was the only one of their people to ever play the role of the brother, the protector.

"What were they talking about?" Octavia asked when the girls had finally scampered away.

"Kane is worried that if Abby's right and all that shit is infested with some kind of disease, that it will leave the camp vulnerable to an attack. There's a good chunk of the Guard in this room."

"I'm telling you Bell, there's nothing wrong with the supplies." Octavia insisted. Her brother put his hands up in a show of innocence.

"Trust me, I believe Lincoln as much as you do." He shrugged his large shoulders. "But prepare for the worst, hope for the best." Octavia nodded, finally agreeing.

Lina tore her eyes away from the siblings. There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask, mainly about Bellamy's role in the massacre of her people, but she was too afraid to outright ask any of them, especially when she would be stuck in the same room as him for another day. Instead she let her mind wander and her eyes flow over the room. She settled them on Kane and Abby, who had claimed the corner at the end of the wall she rested against. The doctor was rushing words out of her mouth, although they were too far to be heard. Lina's lips twitched into a quick smile when Kane put a gentle hand on Abby's knee, shushing for her calm down. She had noticed the relationship between the doctor and Chancellor was more than friendly in her first few hours in Camp Jaha. She wondered how many others saw it too. Abby looked as though she were about to jump out of her skin. No doubt being stuck in this room not being able to work was taking a toll on her.

Another thought hit Lina like a brick wall.

If Abby was here for the next twenty four hours, that meant she wasn't working on a cure. Lina had never had much hope for surviving the crazy and beautiful world above ground, but Bellamy's faith had given her the slightest bit of confidence. Now, that hope was washing from her body, swirling in circles around her toes before pouring down the imaginary drain for good.

Her disappointment must have shown on her face because when she returned her gaze to the Blake's, both were staring at her. Bellamy's hand made a small movement, as though he were about to reach out for her, but it stilled in his lap an instant later.

"Abby's stuck in here for a full day." Lina forced a smile onto her lips. Octavia furrowed her brows, not understanding the significance of the statement. Bellamy on the other hand, kept his eyes trained on Lina.

"You have to give her more time." He was almost pleading. Lina shook her head.

"We had an agreement. I gave you two days, after that I get to do what I want. I get to choose how I spend my final hours and I sure as hell don't want to be prodded with needles or eye-murdered by Robert." Bellamy whipped his head around to find that Robert was in fact, staring daggers into Lina's skull.

"Lina, Abby can do this." He leaned his body forward, his knees now tapping against her own. "She just told me that she has some test running as we speak! Trust me. We can…"

"I don't want to die in here." She said exasperated, earning her a few strange looks from those nearby. "I should have died with the people I loved, the people who loved me. Not in this camp where no one gives a shit about the life of a Mountain Man." She spit the last two words out like venom. It made her sick to think that the _Mountain Men_ were the main actors in the nightmares of children on the surface. It made her even sicker to categorize herself as one of the _Monsters._

"Are you kidding me?" Bellamy looked offended by her small rant. "You don't think that people in this camp care about you? Why do you think Octavia brought you out of the mountain in the first place? Why do you think Kane laid for hours with your blood circulating through his system? Why have I let you sleep in my tent? In my bed?" Lina's face went red as he said the words. Octavia's jaw nearly hit the floor at the confession. "I don't know how you did things below ground. Hell, I don't even know how things are done on the Ground, but up there," he pointed towards the sky. "all of those things are acts of friendship, of compassion, of… of humanity. I've learned that all life matters on Earth. We didn't want to kill your people Lina. That's the fucking last thing we wanted, but it was the only option we had left. So if I have even the slightest opportunity to make it up to you; to make up for ripping your life apart, then I'm going to do whatever it takes."

BELLAMY

His head was swimming at her accusation. How could she not see how much he cared? He had chased her through the God dammed woods, he'd put a knife to the neck of one of his own people in her defense, he'd held her so close that he could feel her heart beating in sync with his. When he was done talking, his hands were shaking and he was very aware of the looks he was receiving from the people who were close enough to hear.

"Uh, I'm gonna go… check on the girls." Octavia said uncomfortably. She rose to her feet and turned to leave but not before casting her brother a stern look. Her eyes moved quickly from him to Lina. He understood what she meant. They had always been able to communicate with little to no words. She was warning him to apologize, and he feared for his safety if he didn't listen. Octavia had a way of weakening Bellamy, of effortlessly bending him to her will. He felt a strange responsibility to do as she said, to please her, to make her proud. The bond between siblings was something that no one else could ever understand, because no one else had a big brother or a little sister.

 _That's not entirely true._ He thought to himself as Lina shifted beside him.

He wanted to say something. He wanted to break the awful silence that had fallen between them. But what? Lina was clearly upset by what he had said, and he sure as hell wasn't going to apologize for speaking the truth. So what was left to discuss? He decided to go with something neutral, something that couldn't possibly trigger another outburst from either of them.

"It's pretty hot with all these people in here." he shrugged out of his jacket for added emphasis. She rolled her head towards him, letting her impossibly dark eyes connect with his only briefly.

"Why did you do that?" she asked quietly. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the right words fast enough. Her head turned away again to look at something, anything, other than him. The people around them who had all been listening in before had now gone back to their own private conversations. Just in case there was a straggler eavesdropper or two, Bellamy leaned in to make sure they weren't overheard this time.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, but it's the truth." she still didn't look at him. "I know you're heartbroken and you feel guilty and exhausted, but I can't sit back and watch you die."

"You think you know how I feel?" finally her head snapped towards him. "My father and baby sister died right in front of me, and all I could do was 'sit back and watch them die.'" she said slowly, throwing his own words back in his face. "How could you possibly know what that feels like?"

"Because I've been there too." he did his best to keep his voice flat and subdued. "My mom was 's what happened to criminals on the Ark, they get released into space." he explained when she gave him a blank look. He knew what happened when someone was launched into space without a suit. He knew that his mother most likely was unconscious in the first fifteen seconds due to a lack of oxygen. He also knew that her body would bloat to about twice its normal size, her skin stretching like a balloon. She'd also start to burn, slowly, from the unobstructed UV rays. He pushed the thoughts away and focused on the girl in front of him again. Her eyes had softened but her lips were still pressed into a firm thin line.

"What was her crime?" she asked, almost hesitantly, as though she were afraid to hear the answer. But something told him she already knew.

"Having a second child." His gazed flickered to his sister in the middle of the room. Lina nodded but said nothing.

 _Good_ , he thought. He didn't want her pity. Another silence settled around them, this one a bit more comfortable than the last. He wanted to tell her that Abby was almost certain that she could replicate the bone marrow transplant that would save Lina's life. He wanted to tell her that he would gladly be the one to donate. Hell, he would give his life if it atoned for his sins. He would give his life if it saved hers. There was a lot he wanted to tell her, but he decided that pushing the topic now would only elicit more arguments.

Instead he would let it rest; he would let her rest. Lina peered over at him a few times during their long stretch of silence, each time her lips quivered like she was on the verge of forming words. But each time, her turned away before she spoke a single word.

Bellamy let the silence linger, unsure of how to break it. He watched as she leaned forward and pulled her arms free from the heavy jacket she wore. The temperature in the small room seemed to have skyrocketed in the last hour or so. All these people packed into a confined area, each giving off their own body heat, it was bound to be a sauna by time they were cleared to rejoin the rest of the camp.

It was two hours later that Jackson came pounding on the door calling for Kane. Octavia had returned to them so Bellamy felt no hesitation in leaving Lina to hear what was going on. He ran up beside Kane who was, as always, flanked by Abby.

"Lincoln's back." Jackson said through the glass of the door's window. He had run all the way from medical to give the news before anyone else discovered it. "And he's not alone."

"He brought her here?" Kane asked. His voice was calm, but Bellamy could see the apprehension on his face. If the camp found out that Lexa was here chaos would ensue. People would raise their weapons and voices against her.

"Yes, and," Jackson took a deep breath and looked to Abby. "he brought Clarke."


	21. Chapter 21

**Aaaaaaaannnnddd, we're back! Sorry for the delay (again) but I've just been in such a writing funk that I haven't liked ANYTHING I've written lately. This is probably the 4th version of this chapter I've done and I'm still not entirely happy with it. I've also been enthralled with season 6 of Game of Thrones and it's been taking over my life. But Chapter 21 is finally here. Enjoy and review!**

 **Oh I almost forgot... WOOOOO! We finally have over 100 followers! that's fucking incredible! Thanks for all the support and kind words! Love you all!**

Chapter 21

It was as though somebody had flipped a switch that threw her life into fast forward. Things began to happen at such a rapid pace that she didn't even have time to process what was going on. People around her began to shout and cry out.

With joy or fear?

She wasn't sure and couldn't find it in her to care because she was being carried towards the now open door on a wave of moving bodies. Lina was tossed around carelessly, bouncing off the others like a tiny silver ball inside a pinball machine. She frantically searched the crowd for Octavia, who only seconds ago had been standing right at her side. Now the brunette was lost among the sea of people who all moved about the room in sheer chaos.

She took a chance and hopped up and down trying to find Bellamy. At the last second she spotted his back as he walked across the threshold and back out into the world. The others behind him were being ushered out by a few of the guards wearing nothing but black. Lina didn't understand how the medical team could have already come to the conclusion that they were, in fact, not infected with some quick spreading and debilitating war disease. Kane had said twenty four hours, it had only been what? Four? Five at the most. How could they have possibly run all the necessary test in so little time?

When it was her turn to be pushed out of the door all those worries were replaced with new ones. A heavy sense of abandonment swelled in her heart. Her last conversation with Bellamy had given her the false sense of protection. He wouldn't _sit back and watch her die_ , but he seemed more than willing to run off, leaving her vulnerable and alone. But he wasn't the only one who'd left her. Octavia was gone too. Maybe she'd run off to find Lincoln. Maybe she had just gotten tired of babysitting the Mountain Girl.

Just as she had the first few days in Camp Jaha, Lina began to feel like a child. A toddler who needed someone to hold her hand. Someone to tell her what to do and where to go. Someone to depend on. God, she was pathetic.

The crowd continued to pull her down the hallway and outside the ship into the piercing sunlight. She shielded her eyes from the intense rays while the Sky People stampeded around her. While some sped off in separate directions, the majority seemed to be heading back towards the front gates. She could go back to Bellamy's tent and pray that he was there, but she knew he wouldn't be. Lina cast her eyes over the sea of heads once more, but when she again found no one recognizable, she followed the large group to the gate.

And she was glad she did.

That's where she finally saw Bellamy again. He, along with Kane, Abby, Octavia, and a handful of guards were standing face to face with three Grounders, one of whom she realized was Lincoln. The other two were women that she did not know. One was tall and even through the thick layers of fur Lina could tell that she was slim. Her hair was pulled half up and it cascaded down her back in thick dark waves. Dark makeup covered her eyes from lashes to brows and flowed down to her cheeks, making her appearance all the more menacing.

The girl on her right had hair that matched the color of the sun, and her eyes… Lina had seen them before. They were so much like Hannah's that her heart clenched as it was hit with the loss of her baby sister all over again. Lina watched as she approached Abby and wrapped her arms around the doctor in a warm embrace. Lina took a step back, alarmed by the intimate interaction between a Sky Person and a Grounder. She had been under the impression that only Lincoln had been accepted into their ranks, that only Lincoln had gained their trust.

The first thought to cross her mind was that they had made a trade. Perhaps Lincoln had convinced the Grounders to give the Sky People the cure for whatever disease they'd been infected with for something in return. But, what could the Grounders want from the people of Camp Jaha? Weapons? Food? Revenge? Bellamy had told her that she was the only person left alive that could give the Grounders the revenge they craved for what happened to their people in Mount Weather.

She continued backing away from the scene until she saw the blonde girl pull away from Abby and shift her gaze to Bellamy. The girl hesitated for only a fraction of a second before throwing her arms around his neck. Lina froze. Her eyes widened and her jaw clenched. She could hear her heart pounding, feel the blood rushing through her veins. There was a brief moment where she imagined herself running to him, letting him hold _her_ in his arms rather than the blonde.

Kane must have interrupted their moment because the pair broke apart and turned towards him. The two female Grounders opened their mouths to speak, but Lincoln stepped forward and spoke in their place. The exchange between the Chancellor and the Grounders was short and soon enough they were all turning back towards the ship; and the crowd.

It was then that Bellamy's eyes latched onto hers. A slew of emotions whipped across his face in a flash. First was surprise, as though he'd only just remembered she existed. The next was guilt, surely for leaving her alone and defenseless. Relief came after, she assumed it was because due to the fact that Robert hadn't found and flogged her, again. Finally, she saw the familiar rage boil to the surface, but she suspected that this anger was towards himself, not her.

Bellamy whispered something over his shoulder to the blonde, who seemed noticeably perturbed, and then he hurried ahead to place a hand on Kane's shoulder. He leaned in to whisper something to the Chancellor, receiving a nod in reply. Without any further discussion, Bellamy broke from the group and headed directly for Lina.

"What's going on?" she asked the second he was within earshot. He looked around at the people who had stopped to stare at him, hoping to catch his answer, and he shook his head.

"Come on." he pointed forward, telling her to walk.

"No." she scoffed, annoyed that he thought he could tell her what to do. "Tell me what's happening. Who are those girls?" she crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. She was fully aware of the people who were closing in on the two of them, not even bothering to hide their eavesdropping. They all stared at Bellamy with expectant eyes. He was only a few inches away now, and he leaned down to put his lips just next to her ear. So close that his breath tickled her neck as he whispered.

"I'll tell you everything, but not here." he started to turn her around. "I don't want to start a panic." Lina snapped her head around to face him full on.

"Are you leaving?" the question burst from her lips before she could stop it. In her mind the only reason to panic would be because she was left alone again, unprotected and vulnerable to both the Sky People and the Grounders. Bellamy pulled his brows together and shook his head, clearly not understanding her concern.

"Not here." he repeated, putting a hand on her back and guiding her down the slope that lead to the rows of tents. Only when they were safely inside his did he speak again. "The gifts were a peace offering, just as we thought." Lina could feel a very large _but_ about to come. "But, that's not all they were." He continued. "Trikru wants to start a war with the Ice Clans, and they want our help."

He must have seen the confusion on her face because he then went on to explain the different tribes that rule the Ground. By the end, Lina's head was swimming with information that she struggled to keep straight.

"Kane said no, didn't he?" She knew that Camp Jaha was low on food, fire power, and sufficient shelter, surely Kane wouldn't be stupid enough to pull them into a war when they were currently fighting one against mother nature.

"The council is meeting now." Bellamy dropped his eyes to the ground. "But I have a feeling he'll agree with Clarke and Lexa."

"Who?"

"The girls, Grounders, who were at the gate." he pressed his lips into a thin line of annoyance, but it was quickly replaced with something softer, something that she couldn't place.

"You know them." she didn't phrase it as a question because it had been clear that he had not only met the blonde before, but they had been close. Friends? Maybe something more?

"Clarke was one of us." he scratched the back of his neck as he spoke. It took a few seconds for Lina to catch the meaning, but when she did, her dark eyes widened in shock.

"You mean she was on the Ark?" she asked, mouth hanging open.

"She was on the first drop ship." he shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. "With the one hundred. Well the one hundred and one."

"So, she's a traitor?" Lina said the words slowly, not sure how he would react to them. He started to shake his head in defense, but stopped suddenly. She saw the fight drain from him in that moment, saw all the stress and anger he carried float away for just a split second.

"I don't know who she is." Hurt and betrayal was written across his usually stoic features. It reminded her of when she found him in the midst of a nightmare. It was as though their roles had reversed, he was now the vulnerable one, and it was finally _her_ chance to be strong, to protect _him_. Lina wanted to reach out for his hand, but she was afraid that it would be too much while he was lost in thoughts of the newcomer; or rather, the returner.

"Why aren't you in the meeting?" she asked, knowing she needed to steer the conversation away from Clarke.

"I'm not on the council."

"So let me get this straight," Lina said shaking her head. "The fate of your people rests in the hands of a select few? That sounds a bit primitive, doesn't it?"

"It's how we've done things for the past hundred years." he began to argue but Lina cut him off.  
"Maybe that worked up there, but you're not in the sky anymore Bellamy. It's time for you, for all of you, to have a say in what happens."


	22. Chapter 22

**Alright guys I was on a writing roll last night and just couldn't stop myself. I've made you wait so long in between chapters that it didn't seem fair to keep another from you! This chapter is relatively clean but I'm not sure I'll be able to say the same for Chapter 23. I've never really written smut, so I'm sure if I want to take the chance and ruin the story if I totally fuck it up. Please let me know what your thinking! I can't explain how much I appreciate every follow/favorite and review!**

 **Chapter 22**

Lina was right. He remembered a time when Clarke had said something very similar. Let the people decide. They had been holding onto traditions, and now, those traditions are useless. It wasn't until the end that major decisions on the Ark meant life or death. On the Ground, every decision was life or death.

Bellamy stomped his way towards the drop ship, determined to be heard before they could throw him out. If Clarke was allowed to speak her mind, then dammit so would he!

Clarke.

She had walked right up to their front door. She had left them, left him, when they needed her. When they, when he, needed her strength and courage. When they, he, needed her logic and outstanding rationality to keep them, him, from making fatal mistakes. She had abandoned them and that infuriated him. But now she was back, and that thrilled him. His emotions were so contradictory that his heart literally hurt, constricting in pain with each beat. Was this how Lina felt about accepting their help? Is this how she felt when he had held her against him? Hateful and grateful? Angry and pleased? Afraid and safe?

Bellamy didn't knock when he finally reached the heavy metal door of the small council room. He barged through, ready to yell and be met with resistance. Instead he was met with silence. Kane looked as though he had been expecting him, and Bellamy swore he saw a faint smile cross the Chancellor's face. Abby's eyes were trained on her daughter, and Bellamy guessed that she hadn't looked away since Clarke's return. Lexa's back was straight, her fierce stare focused on Bellamy. Clarke however, was looking at her hands. This enraged Bellamy. After everything they've been through, she didn't have the decency to look at him?

"Going to war with Ice Nation will kill us all." he finally said when nobody else made a move to speak. "You can't seriously be considering this." he spoke directly to Kane.

"We're considering _all_ of our options." he replied that calm voice that always frustrated Bellamy even more.

"Kane, war can't possibly be an option!" he threw his hands up at his sides.

"A truce with Trikru would give us protection and supplies." Clarke piped up from her chair at the end of the table. Bellamy balled his hands into fists.

"You don't to speak for _us._ " he said slowly. "You aren't part of _us_ anymore." His voice was filled with venom and disdain. He didn't hate Clarke, he never could. But he was pissed as hell, and Bellamy wasn't one to forgive easily.

"Trikru outnumbers the Ice Clans ten to one." Lexa stood, and he was surprised to find that she matched his height. "You would be stupid to not choose our side in this war."

"Why do we need to take a side at all?" he countered. "This is a war that had been building since before we came to Earth, so why should we be dragged into it at all? This is your fight Lexa, not ours."

"Ice Nation is ruthless Bellamy," Clarke spoke again, though her voice was smaller than before. "They'll plow down anyone in their way."

"Then we stay out of their damn way!" he yelled in exasperation. "If you outnumber them and you're so confident in your ability to overtake the Ice Nation then why would you come to us and ask for help?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Bellamy saw Kane lean forward and for the first time, Abby's gaze moved from Clarke to Lexa, awaiting her response. But she said nothing. For once, the commander remained silent.

"This isn't your decision, Bellamy!" Clarke said, getting to her feet. And as she stood, so did Kane and Abby.

"No more than it is yours!" he yelled back at her.

"Your leaders are the ones who decide." Lexa took a step between the two, as if to protect Clarke. Did she think he would attack her? Did she think he even could?

"Kane, Abby, " Bellamy turned to face them. "on the Ark it was the responsibility of the small council to make each and every decision. But we're not on the Ark anymore. I think it's time that the people had a voice."

"And you speak for all the people?" Clarke asked skeptically.

"No, let them speak for themselves. Put it to a vote."

They argued for nearly two more hours before Kane finally agreed that a vote would be the best course of action. The following morning, they would hold a camp wide meeting for all men and women over sixteen (it would have been eighteen if Abby had gotten her way). They would lay out the options and pros and cons before the crowd and allow each person to cast their vote.

"Where are you going?" Clarke asked as Bellamy a quick run for the door after they had come to the conclusion.

"I have to meet someone."

"That girl from the Mountain?" she asked, voice void of all emotion. Bellamy gave her a quizzical look. "I was the one who found her." she explained. "After it happened. She was the only one left alive." Her emerald eyes laid upon his for the first time since she stepped through the gate. "I recognized her at the gate when Lexa and I came in. Marcelina, right?"

"Lina." he corrected.

"Right, Lina." she looked down at her shoes, finally breaking the eye contact. He found it almost comical to think that he used to long for that eye contact, and now it makes him cringe. "I'm surprised she talks to you at all, to be honest. I would think that after everything you did…"

"We." he interrupted. "Everything WE did."

"Everything _we_ did," she carried on, "that she would make every attempt to avoid you." Now it was his turn to look to the floor. "She doesn't know, does she." It wasn't a question.

"I was waiting for the right time…"  
"When exactly is the right time to tell someone you murdered their entire family?" Clarke laughed. She actually laughed, as though it were all just a big joke. As if ripping Lina's life apart was just a silly mistake they made. Bellamy felt his blood boiling, igniting him from the inside out until his skin was ablaze. He didn't trust himself to respond, so he turned and walked out the door.

He had left Lina with Octavia and Lincoln, who were waiting down the hall for the meeting to end. The three of them sat on the ground in a line, their backs against the wall. The corners of his lips pulled up involuntarily when he approached, all thoughts of Clarke flying from his mind.

"How'd it go?" Octavia was the first to spot him and she jumped to her feet immediately.

"They're putting it to a vote." his grin turned to a full fledge smile of self satisfaction. Octavia and Lina returned the smile. Lincoln on the other hand, did not. But he also didn't seem disappointed.

The four of them made their way to the kitchen and each stacked their plate full of the freshly cooked meat the Grounders' had gifted. It seemed odd to eat their food when they weren't sure if they would actually help Trikru, and for a second Bellamy almost felt guilty. But the feeling vanished as he sank his teeth into the slab of venison.

"What did Clarke have to say about it?" Octavia asked between bites.

"She seemed annoyed that Kane agreed to the vote, but not as pissed as Lexa."

"Is anyone ever as pissed as Lexa?" Octavia asked, rolling her eyes.

"Indra." Lincoln said, his voice serious and low. For thirty seconds they all just stared at one another before Bellamy, Lincoln, and Octavia burst into fits of laughter. Lina looked back and forth between the three, unsure of what they found so funny, but she soon joined in. Laughter was contagious afterall. Bellamy's ears rang at the sweet sound that left her mouth, finding that he all he wanted was to hear more of it.

"You think we can go to the showers after we eat?" she asked his sister once they had all calmed down enough to talk again. Octavia's eyes flashed up to Lincoln.

"Actually, Linc and I were going to see Clarke and Lexa." she gave Lina an apologetic smile. "But I'm sure Bell will go. He could stand outside and wait." she added after receiving the vicious look Bellamy cast her. But he couldn't bring himself to say no when Lina turned towards him with her large, dark, pleading eyes.

"Sure." he said gruffly, stuffing more meat into his mouth and avoiding all eye contact.

About twenty minutes late he found himself leaning up against the back of the drop ship, waiting patiently for Lina to emerge from the showers. The constant use of water had made the ground near the showers muddy, and a thin layer of ice began to appear on the sides of the dropship and the metal walls of the shower stalls. Just as his patience was starting to ware thin, Lina came around the corner. Her hair was loose and wet, leaving dark patches on the grey long sleeved shirt she was wearing. She thrust and arm into the sleeve of the heavy coat Abby had given her, then the other, and shrugged it over her shoulders. Bellamy watched as she zipped it up to her chest. A few drops of water dribbled down her neck and into the lower collar of her shirt.

A lump formed in his throat and he was forced to swallow it down as he watched another drop come to rest in the hollow of the neck. Heat began to ball up in his stomach, despite the piercing cold air that whipped around him.

Only when Lina zipped the the jacket up all the way did Bellamy bring his eyes to her face. She gave him a small smile before they made their way back to the tent. Even though the day wasn't over, Bellamy wanted her out of the frigid air until her hair was dry. She was already on borrowed time, the last thing they needed was for her to get sick. At least in a tent she would be out of the wind, if not the cold.

But before they could reach the rows of tents, the smell of smoke had them curiously wondering around the camp. In the dim light that was left of the day, finding the fire was easy. What wasn't easy was convincing Lina to keep walking. When she caught sight of the bon fire and the people sitting around it on logs, she was less than willing to go back and sit in a tent. Bellamy agreed to give her some time near the warm blaze of the fire before he would force her to go with him.

"God it feels so good!" she sighed as she stretched her arms out and let the heat engulf her hands.

"Alright well let's not forget how awful it can feel." he laughed and pulled her hands back an inch.

"How can something so beautiful be so dangerous?" she asked in astonishment. He silently wondered if she had ever seen fire before. Did they have a use for it in the mountain. As the flames leapt from the mound of sticks and branches, they cast a flickering light across her face. Her eyes looked alive as the reflection of the fire danced in her pupils.

"We really need to get you out of the cold." he muttered, forcing himself to look away. "Come on." he put a hand on her elbow, hoping to lead her away, but she yanked her arm from him.

"Why?" she stepped closer to the fire. "Why can't we stay a while longer? It's warm here." Lina reached out again, her fingers centimeters away from the flames.

"Jesus Lina." he hissed as he grabbed her hands again and pulled her back. He was certain that this was her first encounter with fire, because no one in their right mind would put themselves that close.

"I'm okay." she chuckled as she tried to pull away from him again. But this time he didn't let her. He held her hands within his own, feeling the leftover heat from the fire on her skin.

"You'll get sick out here." He told her in a rather thick voice. Deep down he had to wonder if that was the only reason he was so determined to get back to the tent. It might have been more for the fact that he wanted her to himself. Or maybe it was because he constantly remembered how it felt to hold her against him.

But Lina wasn't listening to him. Her eyes were now transfixed on a group of kids across from them. It was Monty and Jasper, and three others that he recognized but couldn't put names to faces. The five were passing a canteen back and forth, and it didn't take more than a millisecond for Bellamy to realize what was inside. He let a slight laugh roll off his tongue and he shook his head. Monty and Jasper were the only two people who could turn such an ominous night into something fun. Come tomorrow, the people of Camp Jaha would have a decision to make. A decision that could lead to their entire population being exterminated. But tonight, they would drink and laugh and feel comfortable in their new home.

"Let's get you inside." He tore his eyes away from the group and lead Lina away from the fire. She was reluctant to leave, but complied after a long drawn out sigh.

"Where are Clarke and Lexa staying?" she asked innocently as they walked along the trodden trail to the tents. Bellamy's breath hitched caught off guard by the mention of Clarke.

"Probably with Abby." he shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Well, at least Clarke is."

"Were they close? On the Ark, I mean."

"Clarke's her daughter." He answered, bewildered by that fact that she hadn't known yet. Lina came to an abrupt halt, causing Bellamy to walk into her.

"Abby has a daughter?" she asked, stunned by the news. He nodded and gave her a gentle push forward to get her moving again. "It makes sense now." she said, more to herself than to him.

"What makes sense?"

"Why Abby was so adamant about keeping me alive. Why she was so willing to risk Kane's life to do the blood transfer." she looked up at him and he swore he could still see the flames of the fire wisp across her eyes even though they were far away now. "She's a mom." Llina finally shrugged, as though that one simple fact explained every mystery the world ever held.

Bellamy shook his head. He was sure that he'd never be able to figure Lina out completely. Only a few days ago she had been ready to tear the doctor apart limb by limb. But now those feelings were replaced by something else entirely. Whether it was respect or empathy he was relieved to see her anger towards Abby dwindle.

They arrived in front of his tent, and the atmosphere changed drastically. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was different. Lina fell silent and she linger near the entrance but kept a few feet between herself and him. What had changed?

Bellamy held the tent flap up with his arm and gestured for her to go shoulder brushed against him as she did so. His heart did an olympics worthy flip at the sensation the brief touch left behind.

"Do you think your people will vote for war?" she asked suddenly just as he stepped through the threshold. It wasn't an odd question, but the timing was certainly strange. However, it was a question that had been on Bellamy's mind since Kane agreed to let the vote take place.

"I don't know." he answered honestly. "I think everyone knows that our chances of surviving the winter are low without a war to fight. But Lexa can be persuasive. I think if she gets the chance to speak, she could sway a good amount of people." He pressed his lips together in frustration.

"I don't understand what it is that Ice Nation wants from you." Lina was shaking her head in confusion. Bellamy opened his mouth to answer, but then realized that he didn't have one and closed it again.

"I don't… I don't know."

"Then why would you agree to fight against them if they're not your enemy?" Her question and curiosity was genuine. She had no knowledge of war, no battle experience. Bellamy had seen his fair share of fights, both on the Ark and on the Ground. But Lina had a point. Why should they fight Ice Nation and make an enemy if there was no real reason to do so. He had asked Lexa why Trikru needed their help, but neither her nor Clarke had given him an answer. Something wasn't right, he could feel it in his gut.

"You should have been in that meeting." he laughed, amazed at her ability to question what no one else had.

"I'm sure I wouldn't have walked out alive." Her voice held humor in it, but her smile faded quickly. He could tell she was thinking about Lexa, about the Grounders who would most likely call for her head if they knew she was still alive.

Bellamy's stomach churned inside of him at the sudden realization that they may already know. Clarke knew exactly who Lina was,she had known this whole time that someone had lived through the radiation. Clarke had been the one to find her.

Did she tell Lexa? Would she tell her now? Would she tell her tomorrow if the votes didn't go her way?

He let his eyes scan over the girl in front of him. Her hair still hung in dark damp waves around her face, now partially dried from the heat of the fire. Her eyes, those dark mysterious globes, were focused very firmly on the floor. Hunched shoulders and arms that hugged her body around the middle told him that she was cold. Either cold or scared, and honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if she were more affected by Lexa's presence in camp than she was the freezing temperatures.

Bellamy took a confident step towards her. His mind was filled with images of her tied up to the post and Robert beside her with the shock stick in his hand. Images of her back, bloodied and burned; of her terrified face when she began to vomit blood. Images from his dreams of the tears she spilled for her family, for her friends, for the life she used to know.

But then the reel changed and he saw her smile, and the skin at the corner of her eyes wrinkle and her smile stretched wider. He heard her laugh, a real honest laugh that came from her belly. He saw her face light up with wonder when she stood below the starry night sky and looked up into space. He saw the glee in her face when she saw the pups for the first time. Then he could feel her; feel her body in his arms, feel her hand in his .

Bellamy had never been a greedy man. All his life he had given everything he had to his sister. But now, greed was slowly filling him from head to toe. He wanted every bit of Lina, he wanted to feel her skin, to hear her voice, to see her eyes. He wanted it all, and he didn't want to share.

He wouldn't let anyone take her. A sudden surge of power ran through his veins and he felt like he could kill any Grounder who tried to come near her.

And if Clarke wanted her, well, he might just kill her too.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Lexa will never have the chance to hurt you." he said in a heavy voice. He knew the thought of the Grounders finding her terrified Lina. Blood must have blood, and no matter what Octavia and Lincoln believed, Bellamy wasn't so sure that Lexa and her crew were satisfied. "No one will ever get the chance to hurt you."

Bellamy had already closed the small distance between them, urged on by the unstoppable need to be near her. There was hardly more than an inch separating their chests, a gap that Bellamy was all too eager to fill. But he had taken the first step, and now it was her turn. A little over a week ago he wouldn't have hesitated to drag her down onto the bed ( only if she allowed it of course. He wasn't a monster). But he couldn't even bring himself to touch her until she gave him some kind of sign that she felt… whatever the hell it was that he was feeling.

It was more than just desire and lust, it was something much deeper than that. He'd felt desire before… many times before, if he was being honest. But this particular feeling hadn't come and gone like he was used to. It had started out as a something smaller than a seed. But it grew. It grew every time she laughed, every time she smiled, every time she made a sassy comment that made him have to suppress a grin. The seed had grown roots that took hold deep within Bellamy's heart and branches that snaked their way through every vein in his body.

Lina's eyes still hadn't met his. Instead, she was staring straight ahead at his chest. Slowly, making sure not to break the moment with quick and wasted movements, he tilted her head up with his fingers under her chin. He could see the conflicted emotions fight for power within her eyes. Whatever he was feeling, he knew she felt it too and that it scared her even more than it scared him. Bellamy cupped the side of her face with his other hand and ran the pad of his thumb over the smooth skin of her cheek.

It was a small gesture, but one that seemed to completely unravel her resolve.

Lina pushed herself up onto her toes and brought their faces dangerously close together. She paused, but only for a second before she let their lips touch. It was soft and quick, a ghost of a kiss. Neither pulled away, their noses brushing against each other while they waited for the next move to be made. Bellamy knew that whatever he did next would change the course of his life, and the thought exhilarated him.

He moved his hand to the back of her neck and gently pulled her forward, bringing her lips back to his. This kiss was longer. It was filled with meaning and promises. His heart was racing and his lungs burned for air, but he didn't want to break the kiss.

Bellamy placed a hand on her waist and pulled her flush against him, needing to be closer. He felt like an addict. He didn't want her, he needed her. It wasn't his brain telling him to kiss her, it was his body. His brain would have screamed for him to stop, to remember who she is and what he's done to her, what he's done to her family. But his brain was currently out of town on vacation, and his body had taken over in it's absence.

She curled her arms around his neck, stretching as high on her toes as she could to deepen the kiss. When her mouth opened, Bellamy allowed his tongue to caress over the inside of her bottom lip. Lina let out a ragged breath before tilting her head back and allowing him full access to her mouth. Both of his arms were around her now, holding her tight against him, so tight that he could feel every beat of her heart which he was elated to realized matched his own.

 **LINA**

She should have stopped the kiss. She should have never let it happen in the first place. The Sky People had brought nothing but trouble to Earth from the moment their damn ship slammed into the ground.

Lina knew she shouldn't… feel things for him. She should hate him. She should hate them all. But yet, here she was, so fully invested in a kiss with Bellamy Blake that she started to feel a little light headed.

She didn't know when exactly she started to feel this way. It's not like a light flashed or a neon sign shone above him, but she had started to fall for him. Hard. Maybe it was when he stood up for her against Robert, or after he had crawled in bed beside her that first night, offering her warmth. But if she was being honest with herself, she knew it was much sooner than that. It was after Robert had led his crusade against her; when Bellamy had taken care of her in his tent. She had been so afraid to let him touch her, so terrified that he'd hurt her.

But he hadn't.

That was the moment she became interested, that was the moment that the seed was planted. A seed that was fed by his protectiveness, his gentleness, his concern. Never in her life had she felt as safe as when she was near him. He had a way of making her feel untouchable, as though nothing could ever harm her again.

That damn seed blossomed into something larger than she could have ever imagined. And now, with his arms around her, she felt like her life had purpose. After her family and home were taken from her, she had been feeling useless, pathetic, like she had no reason to live. But now she understood that he was her reason.

She felt his hand press against the small of her back while the other tangled itself in the hair at the back of her head. Her heart was slamming so hard against the walls of her chest that she was sure he could feel it. It wasn't until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the cot that she realized they had been moving.

Lina knew where this was going. She knew exactly what would happen once she laid down on the bed. The idea of sex wasn't what scared her, it was the idea of having sex with Bellamy. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd been with his share of girls, and she herself wasn't without experience. Sex in the mountain was forbidden, except if you were married. Population control was crucial. Too many people could lead to starvation and illness. But just like every other teenager in Mount Weather, Lina had broken the rules more than once, a few times in particular with Jimmy Carson.

Her mind came back to Bellamy as she felt his hands now sneak their way under the sides of her shirt and stroke the bare skin beneath. She drew in a sharp breath of shock from the contact, but the breath came back out slow and ragged. His fingertips trailed along her sides all the way up to the elastic edge of the old sports bra Octavia had given her. Once he felt the fabric, he let his hands slide back down to her hips. After he gave a few gentle nudges, Lina sat on the cot.

Bellamy yanked his shirt over his head. For a brief moment Lina thought to call him a hypocrite. Only minutes ago he had been lecturing her on being out in the cold and getting sick. And here he was, completely exposing himself to the elements. But this train of thought didn't last more than a fraction of a second.

Her eyes drank him in. The smooth tan skin of his chest and torso and the powerful muscles that rippled underneath it. The sight created a strange sensation in her stomach, one that then began to stretch a bit lower. She wished she had more time to admire him, but Bellamy was leaning down over her and pressing their lips back together with such force that she was pushed onto her back.

She let her arms wrap around his neck and pull him even deeper into her kiss. Bellamy was lying over her, propped up on his hands so he didn't crush her under his weight. Even with her eyes closed she could feel him lift one hand and then felt it come to rest on her ribcage. Very slowly, all while keeping the rhythm of the kiss, Bellamy trailed his hand upwards. This time, when he met the hem of her bra, he didn't stop. Instead, his fingers fought their way underneath material. Lina wiggled beneath him, rushing to get her shirt and bra off and out of the way. She felt an unexplainable flood of impatience when he grabbed her wrists to stop her.

"Stop rushing." he whispered in her ear as he brought his hand back to her chest. This time he didn't go under the fabric, but he let his hand settle on top of her breast. She couldn't stop the small moan that escaped her lips when he gave the slightest of squeezes. It almost angered her that he could have such an effect on her.

She allowed her own hands to wander. The skin on of his back was hot despite the cold air outside the tent. The tips of her fingers glided up his neck and into his hair, tangling themselves among the surprisingly soft curls. Finally, Bellamy fiddled with the hem of her shirt and carefully brought the material over her head. She kept her eyes closed as she waited for his lips to return to hers, but they flew open when she felt his hot breath on her stomach.

Smooth lips brushed over the skin around her belly button, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind as they moved upward. He took his time pulling off her bra, sliding it up her arms that she held over her head. Then he kissed her arm, along the same path that he'd just dragged the bra. Her body gave a small involuntary shudder. When his lips touched the skin of her collarbone a nagging voice in the back of her head reminded Lina that she was now half naked. For the first time in what seemed like ages, she opened her eyes and brought her arms down to wrap around her chest. But Bellamy captured her lips with his, and her arms with his hands. He lifted her arms back up over her head.

His eyes met hers for a fleeting moment before his mouth went back to work on hers. His lips travelled to her neck and down to her chest. Lina took in a nervous breath, for some reason afraid to let him see her body. But her fears were forgotten when he brought a hand down to cover her left breast. His fingers gently played with her hardened nipple, rolling it back and forth between the thumb and middle finger. She couldn't help the way her breathing sped up, or the way her back lifted just a bit off the bed.

When his lips found their way to the valley between her breasts Lina allowed her hand to stroke the skin on his shoulders. He was so soft, so warm, it made her never want to stop touching him. He kissed his way around her right breast, starting at the top, then the sides, then the sensitive skin underneath, before his mouth closed over her nipple. Lina let out a half moan half cry as his tongue swirled in slow delicate circles. She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but she was sure of the disappointment she felt when his hand slid away from her breast.

The disappointment was short lived because she soon understood where that hand was heading. It skimmed its way down her belly, pausing only once when he moved his mouth's attention to her abandoned breast, before it came to the top of her jeans. That's where it rested for some time while his mouth continued it's work.

When he finished, he slowly brought their faces together, letting his lips drag along her skin the entire way until they hovered just above hers. His hand pressed against her lower belly. His lips were at her ear, the hot breath tickled her neck.

"Can I?" he whispered. He was begging for her permission and that made her want him all the more. She slammed her eyes shut and groaned with longing. Before she was even aware that she was nodding, his hand was sneaking under the hem of the jeans.

 **A/N:**

 **Don't hate me, but that's just about as smutty as its going to get for now. I hate stories that lead up to the good stuff and then lose all the meaning and spirit behind the actual plot. I'll also be updating The Fight for Peace soon, so anyone who follows that should be pretty happy lol**


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